Love is Just a Game
by ms.slytherinn
Summary: A contest at Hogwarts draws partners Hermione and Draco together, to both of their dismay. As much as they battle with their hatred for eachother, different problems and events bring them closer, making them question their true feelings.
1. Partners in Crime

"Really Harry, I don't understand why Dumbledore is making all of the Prefects go to his quarters at this time of the night," Hermione asked her sleepy-eyed friend. Harry scratched his unruly black hair and shrugged his shoulders.

"Hermione, if I had any idea I would have told you by now," he said through a muffled yawn. Hermione scrunched her forehead as she thought hard as to why at 1 in the morning they would be making their way to Dumbledore's office, she sighed as she came up empty.

"Well whatever it is, it's bound to be important," she assured herself and Harry, who seemed more particularly interested in glancing at all of the paintings on the wall. He only nodded in response. Hermione sighed and decided this late at night maybe it was better to just walk and enjoy the silence. As they continued through the halls she began to reminisce on the events of the summer and her return to Hogwarts.

_Her lovely summer was spent a majority of the time at the Weaseley's burrow accompanied by Harry. The endless humid nights and the various trips to Diagon Alley all seemed like a blur to her now. The days went by so quickly as she enjoyed her precious time with her friends. The only thing that seemed a bit off was the distance that began to grow between her and the boys. Their bond was slowly disintegrating, especially her friendship with Ron. She remembered one particular night at the end of August…_

_"Harry and Ron! Will you boys please lower your voices a bit," Hermione pleaded with them. On her lap was a new book she was reading "Antidotes and Anecdotes" and the boys were disturbing her concentration._

_"Ay Hermione, we're trying to discuss the important difference between roasted chicken and a good steak over here, this is life or death!" Ron said in a most serious tone. Harry chuckled a bit at Ron's response._

_"Are you crazy Ronald Weasley? I'm trying to learn and expand my knowledge and you think the food groups are more important?" Hermione snapped. Ron pondered for a second and tilted his head to the side._

_"Uhmm.. yeah?" he replied. Hermione haughtily stood up and grabbed her book to head up the stairs. Ron abruptly got up and groaned._

_"I'll be back in a flash Harry, let me go patch things up with Hermione quickly," he said as he ran to catch up to her. He grabbed her shoulder before she reached the first stair._

_"I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to disrupt you, really I didn't," he said and cast a glance to the floor. Hermione rolled her eyes back at him._

_"Ron this isn't the first time you boys have been disrespectful of me. I don't know what it is with you guys anymore. It seems like we don't even talk like we use to. It's always you and Harry, almost like you forgot me," Hermione told him. She didn't like being excluded from their conversations or their day trips to Qudditch matches or even their simple late night games of Wizards Chess, regardless of whether she hated it or not ._

"_Hermione, if you weren't always reading a book or doing something to better your mind maybe you'd actually have time to pay attention to us," Ron said. After the words left his mouth he knew he should have thought before he spoke_

"_Oh? Is that what you think; that all I do is read? Well Ron, you're surely leading a great life, goofing off and acting like a twit. And to think, I actually had feelings for you at the beginning of the summer," Hermione spat. She turned to go up the stairs and Ron grabbed her hand._

"_Wait, you don't care about me anymore?" he questioned. His face bore a look of sadness. Hermione breathed out and shook her head._

"_It's not the same, Ron. I just…I don't think you're what I'm looking for right now. And I also think I should go back home for the last few days of summer," she said quietly. Ron's face turned a hint of red and he kicked the step angrily._

"_You want to leave and throw everything away? Fine, Hermione. Go read you're book in your own house!" he raised his voice with the last remark and stomped off to the living room. The next day Hermione packed her things and flooed back to her own home to waste away the end of summer in solitude._

Hermione's face turned into a frown as she recalled that last night at the Burrow. Ron didn't even want to speak to her anymore after she ended their so called "relationship." Even on the train to Hogwarts yesterday, Ron decided to get a compartment with Seamus Finnegan to avoid having to see or speak to Hermione. The entire train ride, Hermione had to sit in loneliness watching Harry and Ginny cuddling and holding each other. She began to wish she had someone to just hold her and understand her. The only person that paid attention to her on the train was Draco Malfoy, and it wasn't the kind of attention she had wanted.

_"Why if it isn't Potty, the Ginger, and Mudblood having a little Pow Wow," Draco sneered as he poked his head into their car. _

_"Would you just leave us alone you slithering snake," Harry barked as he reached into his robes for his wand. Draco "tsk-tsked" as he shook a finger._

_"No, No Potter. Don't try to hex me into oblivion. You and I both know I know more curses than anyone in this blasted school and I'd have you writhing in pain on the floor before you can say Nimbus," Malfoy said with malice in his voice. He turned his head toward Hermione and focused his attention on her._

_"What's wrong with you Mudblood, Cat got your tongue? Or is it Weasley that's got it?" Malfoy laughed at his own stupid insult. Hermione lightly just shook her head at him._

_"I'm not in the mood Malfoy. Just leave me in peace you stupid git. And for your information, Ron and I are no longer together," Hermione blatantly said. She didn't feel up for arguing with the Slytherin scum today. Draco had to mask the look of shock on his face. _

_Granger not wanting to jinx me for once? That Weasel must have done a number on her. Serves the Mudblood and her big mouth right. She does look kind of pathetic just sitting there though. _

_"You lot are no fun. See you in school, you bloody idiots," Malfoy smirked as he left the car. _

"Hermione!" Harry said as he was tapping her shoulder. She broke out of her flashback as she felt Harry tugging on her. She realized they were in front of Albus's office.

"Umm… Harry we don't know the password," Hermione said as she began feeling the statue in front of the door, hoping for a way in. Harry raised his voice.

"Professor? Professor!" he called out. Then to his surprise the statue opened and there stood Dumbledore in all of his glory with his usual twinkle in his eye.

"'Ah, we were waiting on you two," Albus said as he walked into his office with Hermione and Harry trailing behind. He led them to a circle of couches surrounding a fireplace. On the couches sat all of the Prefects from the various houses. The only spots left for them to sit would be on a small couch that Malfoy was occupying.

"We'll just stand, Professor," Harry said as he and Hermione began moving off to the side to avoid having to share a space with Malfoy.

"Nonsense, sit next to Mr. Malfoy," he said as he motioned his hand to the couch. Harry grunted as he and Hermione made their way over to the couch. Hermione decided to spare Harry of another fight with Draco and decided to just take the seat closest to him.

"Make sure your Mudblood hand doesn't touch any part of me," Draco hissed. Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"I wouldn't dream of it, ferret," she hissed back. Now that they had taken their place, the Prefects hushed their talking because Dumbledore had made his way into the center of the circle. He extended his hands as he began his agenda.

"Hello students, I'm so very glad you could all join me this late at night," he began. A few students suppressed their yawns at that statement. He continued on.

"Now, I know all of you may have seen each other around school and maybe have had a class or two with another. That's very good, but what I'm here to propose is an event to help the lot of you become more acquainted. In one week's time we will have a Scavenger Hunt that will run from inside the castle to the grounds outside. You will draw a name from the sorting hat and that will be your partner. Clues will lead you to the objects you must find and the team to find them all and to return to my office with them will be declared the champions. "A smile had crept onto Dumbledore's face. The Prefects looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Draco cleared his throat next to Hermione.

"Professor, is there any particular reason why we should be participating in this silly game? I really don't see the point," Draco drawled.

"Well, aside from forming friendships with others besides your accustomed circle, there will be a prize involved," Dumbledore explained. Prize? All of the prefects murmured in excited voices.

"Well, what is it?" Draco persisted.

"The winning pair will be exempt from their final exams, and will receive the status of Head Boy and Girl, which comes with the benefits of their own living quarters and special privileges," Dumbledore told the group. Hermione now knew why no one had been named Head Boy or Girl. She had been disappointed in the summer when she had not received a letter about Head Girl and figured it had gone to someone else. Maybe this whole game would be worth it to get a chance at earning a spot she thought she deserved.

"So, now I will leave you all to talk amongst yourselves for a moment to decide whether you would like to participate in the event," Dumbledore said as he walked away into another room leaving the Prefects alone.

"Hermione! This is great, I think it's worth a shot. No exams!" Harry exclaimed as he bounced in his seat excitedly. Hermione cast a frown.

"No exam isn't really a good thing, "she said. At this comment Draco sneered.

"You really are a fool, Granger. I'd give anything not to take those stupid tests and waste my bloody time," Draco scoffed.

"You would fail them regardless you imbecile," she replied. Before Draco opened his mouth to retaliate she finished speaking. "I wouldn't mind Head Girl though. It would be a fabulous experience and it will look good on my resume in the future. The private dormitory is also nice perk," she added.

"Please, like your Mudblood self could ever win the game regardless," Draco smirked. Before an argument broke out between the two, Albus returned.

"Well, can I see a show of hands as to who would like to participate?" Dumbledore asked. The entire room was a wave of hands raised in the air except for Malfoy's. Everyone stared at him and Hermione whispered to him.

"Coward."

At this, Draco shot his hand into the air and sneered at Hermione. His icy eyes bore into her brown ones as he said in a venomous voice.

"Game on."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said as he saw that everyone was willing to join. He pulled out his sorting hat and a stack of papers. "First you must all sign these contracts that will bind you to compete with whomever you chose out of the hat," he explained. He handed out the papers and quills to the Prefects as they all signed their names. Hermione hesitated before signing. What if she was paired with that dirt bag Malfoy? She laughed to herself. What are the odds of that? She signed her name and handed the paper to Dumbledore who then wrote her name onto a small piece of parchment and threw it into the sorting hat. Once everyone had finished signing, he took all of the girls' names and put them into the hat and shook it up.

"Now, each boy will draw a name and that will be the girl he is paired with for the competition. Understand?" he asked. All of the boys nodded. Dumbledore extended the hat to Harry first who was closest to him. Harry bore a look of grimace on his face as he pulled out a name.

"Ah, you have picked the lovely Ravenclaw, Anna Ross," he stated. Harry looked sheepishly at a black haired girl across the room he had never spoken to before. Dumbledore then went over to the other side of the circle and began asking the boys to draw their names. Hermione sat anxiously wondering who her partner would be. Her name still had not been drawn and her stomach began to turn as she saw only two boys were left, Neville and Malfoy. Malfoy also saw this realization as he saw only one other girl besides Hermione left.

"I swear to Merlin if I pick—" Malfoy started to say but then Albus interrupted him.

"Pick your name, Mr. Malfoy," Albus said as he extended the hat to him. Malfoy closed his eyes and he reached into the hat. Please not Granger, Please not Granger, he begged. He opened the small piece of paper and in bold letters he read what seemed to him like a walk to the gallows:

** Hermione Granger**


	2. Oh,You Too?

Draco groaned as he saw Granger's name jumping off the paper. Hermione too saw her name beaming from his hands and her stomach dropped.

"Bloody hell, I have to compete with Granger? No way Professor," Draco complained as he crumpled the paper with her name and threw it into a magical garbage can nearby.. Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he grabbed a familiar piece of parchment next to him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy but I do recall that you signed a contract, you must compete," Dumbledore explained to him, " but also realize you two are very talented and that Ms. Granger may benefit you more than you think."

"Can't we just partner with someone else, please Professor," Hermione spoke up. Her brown eyes searched into the elderly man's begging.

"You've heard the rules Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said and he reached onto his desk to grab a large stack of envelopes.

"Please sit with your partner; I will be handing out all of the information you need about the competition," he told them as he began distributing the envelopes to the partners he already saw were seated next to each other. He handed Draco an envelope and whispered to them

"Good luck," and gave them a wink. Draco raised his eyebrow at the remark. He tore open the envelope, throwing the garbage onto Hermione's lap. He skimmed through it, smirking as he saw Hermione craning her neck trying to read it as well.

"No, No Granger, pureblood first," he said as he shifted his position away from her so that it was impossible for her to see. She swatted at Malfoy's hand.

"Come on, Malfoy, let me look!" she demanded as she tried grabbing the paper from his hands. He, clearly being much stronger than her, took hold of one of her arms and stared icily into her brown eyes.

"Shove off, Mudblood," he growled. Hermione huffed as she crossed her arms and sank into the couch. A few minutes later Malfoy turned around to face her with his usual scowl plastered on his face.

"Well, you piece of filth, apparently according to this, we will have 10 things that we must locate and they can be found anywhere inside and Castle and outside," he droned.

"Outside? You mean in the Forbidden Forest as well?" she questioned with her eyes narrowed. He sighed.

"Yes, Granger. Why are you scared? You won't have your Potty or Weasley to protect you," he said.

"Shut up ferret, I'm not scared at all. I think you're the one who should be scared, you know being attacked by a measly hippogriff and all," Hermione retorted with a grin on her face thinking of that wonderful day where Malfoy was petrified out of his wits.

"You better tread carefully, Granger. I'm not to be reckoned with," Malfoy said under his breath. Hermione reached over and snatched the paper out of his hand as she read through it.

_Hello Competitors_

_I am pleased you have decided to partake in this friendly competition. However, there are a few things you should know._

_The competition will begin on Saturday, the 20__th__ of September. Everyone will meet in the Great Hall at 10 AM sharp where I will release you all at the same time to begin the hunt! On this hunt, you will find ten things located inside the Hogwarts Castle and on the grounds outside. Because you all are skilled and capable wizards and witches, you will be going into the Forbidden Forest on your hunt to find some of the objects. At the beginning of the hunt, I will give you a clue to the whereabouts of the first item. Everytime you find an item, a clue will be with it to lead you to the next one. My predictions assume that the hunt will go on for two to three days. During this time, you will not be allowed to return to your dormitories for any reason. I have enforced this rule because I want you to become better acquainted with your partners, and this way you will spend the entire length of the competition with them. This competition involves thinking outside the box, being deft in the field of magic and being able to endure physical pain._

_Good luck to you all and I will see you on Saturday._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Hermione glanced up after reading the letter. Malfoy was picking at some lint on his robes, fighting the want to go to sleep. Hermione placed the letter onto the couch and glared at him.

"Does he really expect me to spend 3 days with you?" she asked him. He waved his hands about in frenzy.

"You think this is going to be a picnic for me, Granger? I'd rather be with anyone in the world besides you, Mudblood," he scowled.

"Why don't be just be civilized, we both want to win and I don't see how we can while being terrible to each other," Hermione mentally smacked herself as she tried to compromise. Draco let out a menacing laugh.

"Me be civilized to you? My, I didn't know you were such a comedian Granger. That humor you have makes you simply hilarious, especially with that mangy hair. You could be what those muggles call a clown," he said to her, smiling to himself with how clever his comment was. Hermione abruptly stood up, almost making Malfoy fall over on the couch.

"I'm leaving you stupid git, I hope you're happy," she snapped at him as she walked to the exit of Dumbledore's office. The Prefects in the room stared at the scene in front of them. Malfoy sneered as he patted himself on the back for being able to get Granger to leave.

"Oh, happy is an understatement," he remarked and with that Hermione pushed open the door while fuming.

"Ms. Granger, watch the d—"Dumbledore began but it was to late. The door swung and slammed with a noise that could have awakened an entire corridor. He winced before he finished his thought.

"Door."

From the other side of the room, Harry rose from his chair next to his partner and he stomped over to Malfoy, who was yawning with his legs sprawled out on the couch.

"You're such a prat, Malfoy. Can't you just leave her alone?" Harry said angrily. Malfoy put his hand on his chin and looked toward the ceiling, pretending to be thinking about Harry's proposal. He moved his head to look at Harry in the eyes and smirked.

"I'd much rather torture Granger instead, if you please," he drawled and he rose to leave the office. It was much too late for Malfoy to be up, after all; he needed his beauty sleep. Harry battled with himself over whether to curse Malfoy or to tackle him but he restrained. He didn't' want to upset Dumbledore. Malfoy saw Harry retreat and he smiled to himself.

"Idiot Potter," he muttered and he stalked over to the door and exited from Dumbledore's office, much quieter than Hermione did.

"I can't believe I'm partnered with that slimy git!" Hermione huffed at breakfast the next morning. Harry, seated on her left grabbed another roll off the table and stuffed it into his mouth, avoiding having to have this conversation with her, again.

"Dumbledore is absolutely mad. Does he want me dead? I swear if Malfoy tries to curse me during the competition, I will personally see to it that he is permanently turned into a ferret and stuck on an island somewhere off the coast," she continued on. She looked at Harry hoping for sympathy but she could see he was tired of it. She did spend a good hour already talking about it between early this morning and now, not stopping for a breath. Harry ran out of things to say. He swallowed his roll and sighed.

"Look Hermione, I'm sorry this had to happen, but we can't do anything about it anymore. You're just going to have to put up with him for a couple days, that's it. Once this is over you never have to spend another second with him," Harry told her, patting her shoulder for some comfort.

"I know Harry, I apologize for whining for much, I guess I'm being a bit immature," she said lowly. Her attention moved from her food down to the other end of the Gryffindor table. Her eyes spotted Ron sitting with Seamus and Lavender Brown, talking animatedly. Hermione gazed down at her food when she saw Ron glance over at her. Harry noticed this action and lightly grabbed her hand.

"You and Ron have to make up sooner or later, please Hermione. We can't just throw away this friendship over some silly argument," Harry spoke to her. Her face turned to an expression of shock.

_Silly argument?_

"It's not a silly argument Harry; it was about how I felt neglected by you two. I don't think that's a laughing matter. After everything we've been through, I would think Ron might be the one wanting to apologize," she pointed out.

Over at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was watching the action going on at the Gryffindor table. He could clearly hear Granger yelling at Potter and he was cowering in his seat.

_That Mudblood is so loud. Doesn't that woman know how to lower her voice? She sounds like a bloody Screecher._

Harry looked absolutely frightened by Hermione at this moment. Her hands were shaking in anger as her voice continued rising. She kept yelling about how he and Ron ignored her when CLEARLY she was the one who was constantly wrapped in her own world the entire summer. Harry could not stand Hermione belittling his best friend, Ron anymore.

"Put a sock in it Hermione! Really, sometimes you just go way too far. Maybe Ron and I were ignoring you because you changed. You never wanted to do fun things with us anymore, you just mopped all by your lonesome complaining about something or other, "he yelled and he got up intending to go sit by Ron at the end of the table. Hermione stood at the table, stunned at what Harry had said.

_Harry Potter, if you only knew what made me turn into this empty person I've become…you would think before you opened you're trap._

Hermione saw Ron high five Harry as he plopped down in the seat next to him. This was too much for her. She turned to retreat from the Hall to arrive at Potions early. As she turned she ran straight into a hard, defined chest of the last person she wanted to conflict with.

"Aww, poor Mudblood's had a falling out with her Rusty Trio?" Draco drawled as he smirked. Hermione glared up at him mustering the strength to combat his insult but she gave up.

"Malfoy, sod off please," she whispered as a tear brimmed from her eye. She pushed him to the side as she headed to the door of the Great Hall, picking up speed after every step.

_Jesus, they must have done a bloody number on Granger for her to be crying. Ha, maybe I should be thanking Potty and the Weasel now. They finally did the one thing that I couldn't do. They made Granger cry._

Draco laughed to himself and strolled back over taking a seat next to Blaise. He grabbed a piece of bacon and began to chew it.

"That has to have been the easiest gibe at Granger yet, I barely said ten words," Draco told Blaisé, washing his bacon down with a swig of pumpkin juice.

"I don't know Draco; maybe you should lay off her a bit. I mean, Mudblood or not, its not very satisfying seeing a girl cry," Blaise remarked. Draco spit his juice back into the cup.

"Damn Blaise, I didn't know you were such a girl! Maybe you should go make friends with that filth and gossip with each other into the wee hours of the morning!" Draco said excitedly pretending he was a hormonal teenage girl. He scoffed while he rose from his seat glaring at Blaise. Blaise simply shook his head in disgust at Malfoy's inconsideration. Draco walked away from the table and headed to Potions. Strangely while he walked the image of Granger's teary eyes flashed back into his mind.

_What a pussy._

"Alright you bunch of dim-witted vermin, today you will be creating a very complex and advanced potion. The potion you will create allows the drinker to recall a bad or disturbing memory from the past. Their partner will be making body contact, usually by simply touching their arm, and will be able to see the other person's memory in their own head as well," Snape drolled. He glanced around the room at this year's group of students sitting in front of him. That damn Neville Longbottom was here again to his dismay, as well as the Golden Trio, and his favorite group of Slytherins.

"Excuse me, professor?" Hermione said as she raised her hand in the air. Snape rolled his eyes at the witty Gryffindor know-it all.

"What is it this time, Ms. Granger?" Snape asked. She looked uncomfortable as she formed the words to her question in her head before she spoke.

"Does the drinker of the potion have any control over what memory is accessed?" she questioned.

"No, the drinker's subconscious will draw upon the memory, so be warned, you're partner may be in store for learning a few disturbing things about your past," Snape hissed as he grabbed a cauldron next to him. Hermione's face look panicked at the answer to her question and began tapping her fingers on the desk.

"Now, I have placed everyone's name into the cauldron and you will be choosing the name of the person who you will be partnered with for the potion. Once you choose a name, grab a set of instructions from my desk and begin working, "he told them. He walked up and down the aisles letting the students choose names. He reached Hermione's desk and she hesitantly reached her hand into the cauldron. When she opened up the slip of paper she let out a small gasp when she saw in small print the tiny words:

**Draco Malfoy**

Snape saw the name scrawled on the paper and laughed to himself.

_That pairing should be interesting._

There was only one name left and he handed it out to another student that did not yet receive a partner. Draco looked around the room with a confused expression on his face.

"Where's my partner?" he asked, his eyes searched the room to see who he'd be sharing his darkest memory with. He saw Granger slowly getting up from her seat.

_Are you bloody kidding me? Again with damn name drawing! _

She made her way over to his table and plopped her books down and took a seat next to him, a look of fear was on her face.

_I wonder what has gotten the Mudblood so worked up._

"Time is wasting!" Snape snapped at the pair causing Granger and Malfoy to shoot out of their chairs. Hermione glanced at the instruction sheet Malfoy grabbed at the front of the room and went to the cabinets to begin gathering the necessary items, her hands shaked while holding the ingredients. She made her way back to the table to see Malfoy had prepared the heat for the cauldron and was pondering over the ingredients.

"Took you long enough," he muttered under his breath as they both began chopping and dicing away at what was required for the potion.

An hour or so passed by and the two had barely spoken a word to each other. Their focus and concentration poured into the potion.

"You aren't stirring it right! " Draco barked at Hermione. She was taken aback at his sudden outburst and dropped her wand. They had almost completed the potion, the only thing left being the stirring which was the most difficult part of the task.

"You need to tap the side like this every 3 stirs. Honestly I thought you were smart Mudblood," Draco said as he took over the stirring. Hermione watched him carefully and looked at his pale face. His eyes looked at the potion with almost a glint of satisfaction.

_I didn't know Draco had such an interest in potions. He really enjoys this sort of thing._

"Finished," Draco stated as he placed his wand down. He looked at Hermione waiting for her to ladle the potion into a cup to drink. Hermione stared at him quizzically. Surely he was not intending she drink first.

"Well, go on Mudblood! Drink first," he told her.

"Why should I drink first, you're capable of pouring your own potion into a glass aren't you?" she snapped back.

"You really are a pain in the ass," he said to her as he poured himself a cup.

_Bottoms up. Can't wait until she gets a load of whats on my mind. _

Draco drank the potion and felt it burn down his throat. Almost instantly he closed his eyes and felt a warm hand on his own.

_"What did I tell you about letting strangers into the house, Narcissa!" Lucius Malfoy growled, His wife cowered on her knees in front of him shaking uncontrollably. Sobs racked her body as Draco watched them fight from the top of the staircase._

_"I'm so sorry, I forgot Lucius, please forgive me, I swear I won't do it again!" she pleased. He gritted his teeth and kicked hard at Narcicissa's stomach. She whimpered in pain at his feet,_

_"You will never do it again because there will never be an again, you bloody whore," he yelled. Draco reached into his pocket to grab his wand. Something about this particular fight seemed a bit off from their usual scuffles._

_"CRUCIO!" Lucius screamed as his wife contorted in pain. He laughed as her screams and yells became louder. Draco bounded down the stairs to help his mother but Lucius heard him and pointed his wand directly at his chest._

_"Take one more step son and you're life will be over," Lucius hissed, raising his wand._

_"Kill me, father. I dare you. Just leave mother in peace you scum!" Draco yelled as he brandished his wand, attaining an intimidating stance. Lucius was too quick and disarmed Draco before he could utter a curse._

_"EXPELLIARMUS!" he bellowed and Draco went flying into the wall next to him while vases shattered. The last thing Draco saw before his eyes closed was a flash of green light and his mothers last plead for mercy._

Draco felt his eyes open slowly, looking directly into the eyes of Granger. The warmth on his hand did not leave; even when he glanced down to see her hand still resting on his.

"Oh, Draco," Hermione whispered. Her brown eyes were filled with compassion and understanding.

_Did I just hear Draco out of that Mudblood's mouth? Must still be a little delusional._

"Get you're filthy hand off me," Draco snapped as he yanked his hand out from under hers. She looked startled but put her hand back onto her own lap.

"I'm sorry, it was just an accide—" she started.

"Just drink you're potion already. Let's see what's going on in that cluttered bushy head of yours," Draco said as he poured the potion and shoved the cup into her hands. She hesitantly put it to her lips and drank. Her eyes closed and Draco looked around the room unaware of what to do. He slowly reached his hand out and lightly touched her arm. His eyes closed as well.

_Hermione sat on a fluffy blue bed, immersed in a Muggle Magazine. The low noise of the TV on was soothing to her ears as she flipped through the pages, sighing every now and then. She was in her room enjoying her abundance of free time. A hair fell into her face and she pushed it away with annoyance. As she placed the magazine down she leaned back onto her pillows closing her eyes hoping to fall asleep. Almost out of nowhere a scream jolted her awake. Her eyes shot open and she stood up quickly running to the door._

_"Mom, Dad?" she yelled. Her feet carried her down the hallway to the door of her parents' room. Her heart was pounding so loud it broke the silence. In her pocket she tightly gripped her wand. _

_"Are you in here?" she whispered through the crack of their door, resting her hand on the knob. No answer. She pushed gently on the knob only to be knocked down by an unfamiliar figure._

_"Who are you?" Hermione yelled when she saw a masked man hovering over her. He dropped to his knees and tried to grab Hermione's arms to keep her pinned to the floor. Hermione yelled and forcefully thrust her leg up to kick the mysterious man. He grimaced in pain as her foot contacted his body._

"_Reuticala!" she screamed with her wand before her. The man twisted in pain and after a few moments was unconscious. Hermione's eyes wandered over to what she saw laid next to him. A blood-stained dagger. A lump rose in her throat as she forced her eyes to look towards her parent's bed. Atop the sheets, with blood dripping from every possible place, her mother laid, glossy eyed and dead to the world. _

"_Hermione, what's going on-" Hermione's father came into the room unaware of what had taken place. His sentence broke off as he saw the bed drenched in his wife's blood. Hermione racked her body with sobs as she buried her face in her father's chest and held onto him with all the strength she had left. _

Draco was the first to open his eyes after Hermione's memory slowly faded away. For some reason he could not bring himself to speak. His hand was still holding onto Hermione's arm, not willing to let go. He forced himself to regain composure as he yanked his hand back.

_This is surely incorrect. Granger's mother cannot be…dead? Why is it I have not heard of this? What do I say when she awakes? Oh, you too? Bloody hell._

Draco's thoughts flew through his mind. Mudblood Granger had lost her mother, just as he had. He put his hands in his hair trying to shake off the eerie images he had seen. He heard a cough next to him and he looked up to meet Hermione's eyes that were clouded with tears. Draco looked at her face and saw something he'd never seen before. Vulnerability. He did not know what came over him at this fleeting moment. Maybe it was his human instinct overpowering his senses, or even his mother whispering into his ear. But whatever it was, it did not help him understand what brought him to say the three words that came out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."


	3. Everythings So Blurry

Hermione's eyes locked onto Draco's when he uttered those words.

"_I'm sorry Hermione."_

She didn't know what she felt at that movement. Whether it was shock, belief, or confusion, she would never know. He held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity. Hermione's eyes searched his and saw compassion and understanding.

_Maybe the cold Slytherin has a heart after all._

However that thought was soon shot down when Draco broke the gaze abruptly.

"Damn it you Mud blood, why do you keep staring?" he snapped while he began to clean up their workspace. Hermione sat still in her seat, taking a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes as Draco began putting ingredients away. She bit her lip to keep herself from spilling anymore tears.

_Out of all of the people in this school, the person who found out about her mother's death first was Malfoy. Not Harry, not Ron, not even Ginny, but Draco Malfoy. _

She cringed at this thought. Her mortal enemy was the only other person that knew her darkest secret. She surprised herself with how clever she was by keeping it under wraps. After her mother passed in July, Hermione's father had become a complete wreck and it made him feel like a terrible father seeing Hermione in a state worse then his own. She was always in her room crying, or simply sitting in the garden staring blankly into space. He insisted on her going to spend the summer at the Burrow to give him closure and to be alone. Hermione protested but he said seeing her friends might cheer her up. But little did her father know, she never mentioned it to them.

Every day Harry and Ron would give her a questioning glance when she refused to eat a meal, or randomly lock herself in her room for hours upon end, but they left her in peace. She could not even count the amount of nights she went to sleep crying. No one ever heard her muffled sobs.

"Could you lend me a hand over here?" Draco grunted as he picked up more of the ingredients to put away. Hermione nodded and grabbed the cauldron on their table to move into one of Snape's various storage cabinets.

"Finish putting your belongings away and then you may leave," Snape stated as the students slowly milled out of the classroom. Hermione quickly gathered her belongings and made a dash out of the door. Draco took his time picking up his books, staring at Granger running away.

_She really looks like someone lit her panties on fire the way she ran out of the door. Damn, Granger's actually pretty fast. Who knew? Must have some Ethiopian in her genes._

Draco sniggered at the thought of Hermione being remotely related to someone of Ethiopian descent. She'd have to lose about 50 pounds, aside from her already tiny frame to resemble them.

Hermione rushed through the halls, keeping her eyes staring directly at the floor, avoiding the others around her. However; she soon realized she had no where to run to. She had no class for another hour and with that thought, slowed her pace.

_I need to get my mind off of what just happened. Hmmm…I should really be practicing my charms and a few spells for the competition. Yes, that's what I'll do. I just have to find an empty classroom._

Hermione went down another corridor, poking her head into rooms hoping to find one abandoned. At last, nearing the end of the corridor, she found a desolate classroom, ideal for her purpose. Opening the door slowly, she stepped inside and turned on the lights.

"Perfect," she whispered. She then sat down on top of one of the desks and began muttering incantations. After a matter of time, books and papers were levitating around the room. Many objects had been transfigured, and she also had conjured up a small bottle of Fire whiskey. Hermione hesitantly eyed the bottle, gathering enough courage to take a sip.

"Cheers to…cheers to Jane Granger..and Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione said lowly as she raised the bottle in the air and took a long sip. She shuddered at the strong, vile taste and began to sputter.

"I'll drink to that," a drawl came from behind her as she whipped around to see who the addresser was. Her eyes landed upon Draco leaning on the door frame with a small flask in his hand, taking a decent swig before walking towards her.

"Why are you here? Lost your way going to the zoo?" Hermione asked, taking another drink. Draco laughed haughtily as he took a seat on the desk next to Hermione's.

"I should be asking you that same question, you mangy beaver," he scoffed. Somehow, his insult didn't hit Hermione quite hard. He put the flask down and eyed Hermione as she took another drink.

"Better watch yourself, Mudblood. You're able to really do a number on yourself with that whiskey," he warned. She shrugged and placed the bottle down.

"You never answered my question, why are you here?" she repeated.

"I came to practice my spells and charms for the bloody competition, but I guess this room won't do. It's too small to fit myself and your gargantuan head," Malfoy commented as he got off the desk.

"If you think your ego can fit in here, you're seriously mental," Hermione retorted. Malfoy raised his eyebrow seeing Hermione finish off the last of the bottle.

_What am I doing here talking to the stupid scum of the earth? If someone saw us, I'd be ruined, especially with Granger guzzling whiskey. Someone might think something not so kosher was going on. Kosher? Since when am I Jewish?_

"I should really be---" Hermione started while getting up from the desk, but stumbled mid sentence. Draco lunged forward to catch her arm as she fell.

"Jesus Granger, didn't know you were such a lush," he said, picking her up and helping her sit.

"I'm really quite fine," she told him, attempting to stand. She failed miserably and fell back into the seat. Draco let out an annoyed sigh as he pulled her up by the collar of her robes.

"Come on Mudblood, I can't leave you here in your state. I can't win this competition with my partner being a drunken buffoon," he stated.

"Ouch, Malfoy," Hermione said, trying to swat Malfoy's hand away from her collar. He tugged harder and began to drag her to the door.

"Oh dear," Hermione gasped as her eyes closed and she quickly buckled and fell to the floor.

_Shit, she's passed out. Merlin, what the hell am I going to do now? Theres no way I can carry that sack of potatoes to her dormitories. I might bust a nut. _

Draco knelt down to Hermione and shook her lightly.

"Wake up, Granger! You have class in ten minutes!" he said, shaking her. If telling her she would miss class wouldn't wake her, then she was seriously out cold.

_I can't leave her here. Wait what I am talking about. Yes I can. It's not my fault she downed a bottle of whiskey, Bloody hell, what am I supposed to do? Theres no class called "Caring for Drunken Enemies 101." Shit._

Draco decided the best thing to do was to sit down on the floor beside Hermione to wait for her to awake. It was only right.

_Since when do I care about what's right and wrong?_

Malfoy sighed as he looked at the pathetic Mudblood on the floor next to him, and he laughed lightly.

_She's not so devilish looking when she's sleeping. Oh, I have an idea! Maybe I should knock her out during the competition and that way, she'd be easier to work with. Damn it, I'm a fucking genius._

"I don't feel so good," a voice startled Malfoy.A now awake Hermione had opened her eyes groggily and moaned. Draco snapped out of his thoughts to see Granger clutching her stomach, trying to sit up.

"Don't get up just yet, you're able to throw up everywhere," Draco told her, but of course Hermione was not one for listening. She tried to get up but as soon as she did, she clapped her hand to her mouth. She leaned over abruptly and Draco could hear her wretching.

"Oh, that's bloody disgusting, Granger," Draco scowled and fanned the air to get rid of the smell of vomit. Quickly, he transfigured the empty Firewhiskey bottle into a basin.

"Here, at least puke into this," he told her and he placed the bucket next to her and helped guide her body over to it. She continued to throw up, much to Draco's dismay.

"Let's try not to get that thing you call hair filled with your bodily fluids," Draco said as he pulled Hermione's hair back, away from the bucket.

_My god, this mess doesn't feel that much like a dead cat. Her hairs actually a bit softer, like a squirrel tail._

"I think I'm done," Hermione managed to choke out, while pushing the bucket aside. Draco reached out and grabbed the basin back.

"Lets not start counting chickens before they hatch," he said as he released Hermione's hair. He sat on the ground next to her, muttering a spell to make the contents of the bucket vanish.

"You didn't have to stay," Hermione muttered while wiping her mouth off with her robes.

"I know Granger. But I couldn't miss this lovely scene of you hurling your brains out. I really hope you did, maybe I'll have a chance at beating you in something now," he said to her, almost with a grin on his face.

"Thanks," Hermione said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. Malfoy looked at her curiously, wondering if she was going to pass out again. His question was answered when she spoke.

"I miss my mum," Hermione sighed, opening her eyes to glance at Draco.

"Yeah, me too Granger….me too," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back rubbing it lightly.

_I really shouldn't be touching the nasty thing. Somehow, the desperation in her voice reminds me so much of myself. This just seems like the right thing to do. Wow, she's so small. My hands as big as her back. _

"I think I'm okay to head back now," Hermione said, slowly getting up from the floor. Draco got up too and watched her to make sure she was capable of walking.

"You sure, Granger?" he asked. She nodded her head as she walked to the door. She placed her hand on the knob and opened it slowly.

"Want another drink, Mudblood?" Draco jokingly asked her, pulling out his flask before she could leave.

"Sod off Malfoy," she replied and with that, left Draco in the room alone to mull over what had just occurred.

_I, Draco Malfoy, have just helped Mudblood Granger. Not only have I helped her, but I have been civilized to the beast and comforted her. My lack of sleep is really catching up with me. Anyway, tomorrow I'll just go back to being my normal self, no more of this Nice Guy bullshit. Mudblood better watch her back…..her small, tiny back that is._


	4. Silencio

_Damn, I have such a bloody headache. I feel like I've been hit by the Hogwarts Express. _

Hermione slowly awoke to the bright sun shining through her window. She sat up in bed and glanced around the room. Ginny was sleeping soundly in the bed next to her, tossing and turning occasionally. Hermione glanced at the clock next to her bed seeing that she had another twenty minutes before she had to start getting ready to go down to breakfast. She leaned back onto her pillows and closed her eyes, trying to remember the events of yesterday.

_That Firewhiskey really screwed with my head. For some reason I keep remembering Malfoy holding my hair while I threw up and…dare I say, caring for me? No, that can't be right. It must have been more along the lines of him laughing at my while I regurgitated all over the place. Yes, that's it._

Hermione turned over to her side as she glanced outside the window to a blue, cloud- free sky. She smiled at the bird poking its head around on the window sill, hoping to find a crumb or too. Hermione turned and laid on her back.

_Wait a second; I definitely remember Malfoy's hand rubbing my back. I had said something about my mum and he tried to make me feel better. I'm sure of it…right?_

"Wake up you lazy arse!" a voice was yelling into Hermione's ear. She yawned and opened her eyes to see Ginny above her bed.

"I hope you're capable of making yourself look presentable in five minutes," Ginny told her as she put her red hair up in a perfect ponytail. Hermione gaped in horror and sprang out of her bed, catlike and dove for her trunk.

"Five minutes!? I must have dozed off, shit!" Hermione panicked as she threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Ginny tossed her one of her robes and grabbed Hermione's books.

"Come on, just leave your hair, it won't make much of a difference," Ginny joked as Hermione elbowed her in the stomach.

"Ha Ha, you're a real Dane Cook," Hermione said sarcastically while running a brush through her hair and tossing it up into a bun.

"Whose that?" Ginny questioned. Hermione sighed and took her books from Ginny's hands.

"Honestly, you wizards and witches really need to keep up with Muggle Entertainment. He's a comedian," Hermione said to her.

"Oh" Ginny simply said and shrugged her soldiers. The two started to head outside the Gryffindor dormitories to the Great Hall.

"Scum alert, watch yourself," Ginny whispered in a low voice to Hermione as they neared the entrance to the Hall. Hermione rolled her eyes seeing Pansy Parkinson and her Slytherin posse of girls approaching the entrance from the opposite direction.

"Just ignore them, Ginny," Hermione said to her. Hermione straightened herself up and stood a little higher. A little intimidation never hurt anyway.

"Well, well, what have we here? Mudblood and the little Weasel. You both look like something the hippogriff dragged in," Pansy sneered at the pair. Hermione crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Really Pansy, you're one to talk. You look like Crabbe and Goyle's love child," Hermione said glaring her up and down.

_She really does look like their love child. Ew...I don't even want to think about Crabbe and Goyle engaging in the activity required for having a child. _

"Oh, ouch. That hurt my feelings oh so much you dirty piece of filth," Pansy spat. Hermione grinned to herself after hearing Pansy's pathetic insult.

"A little redundant there aren't you?" Hermione commented. Pansy looked as if steam would start spilling from her ears. She stepped closer to Hermione, staring down at her. Hermione grit her teeth and returned the cold stare.

"Don't speak one more word, Mudblood. You should go back to shagging your so called friends Potty and the other Weasel," she started but smirked and paused.

"Actually, even those two would have better taste then to lie their hands on your disgusting body you ugly beast," she snarled.

Draco glanced carelessly around the Hall while eating his breakfast. The half eaten muffin in front of him seemed to call his name. He grabbed the remainder of it and shoved it into his mouth chewing thoughtfully.

_Something seems a bit off balance in the hall today…something's __**missing.**__ I just can't put my finger on it._

"Earth to Draco!" Blaise said, waving his hand in front of Draco's face. Draco snapped out of his stupor and glared at Blaise.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of something," Draco said nonchalantly, wiping his hands off with a napkin.

"Anything worth sharing?" Blaise questioned while taking a bite of an apple. Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"Not in particular," he said to him and decided to stretch his legs out on the empty bench to the right of him. Draco furrowed his brow when he realized the bench was empty because Pansy and her group of friends were not seated next to him.

_Where's bloody Pansy? She is usually sitting next to me, drooling all over my robes. God, that girl is gross. It's like being harassed by a mini Hagrid. Ha, Mini and Hagrid don't belong in the same sentence._

"She must be making you a poster or something," Blaise spoke as he motioned to Pansy's empty seat.

"Don't flatter me," Draco said to him and squinted his eyes to look over Blaises' shoulder.

_Ahh..thats what seems to be out of place. I don't see Granger's bird nest of a head over at the Gryffindor table. It usually blocks my view from the window. I wonder where she could be. Her hangover couldn't possibly be THAT bad._

"Wow, I wonder what's going on outside the hall, look! Everyone's going to the doors," Blaise pointed out and Draco looked to see groups of students leaving their tables to head to the entrance of the hall.

_Twenty galleons Pansy and Granger are clawing each other to death._

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Draco said to Blaise as he took a final sip of his juice and stood to leave. He and Blaise began walking to the entrance; hearing raised female voices the closer they approached. Being so tall, Draco could see the small figure of Granger staring up into Pansy's menacing eyes in the middle of the circle.

_Am I a physic or what?_

Draco pushed through the crowd to get a better view. He entered the ring that had formed and stood by Pansy, with all the Slytherins surrounding them. He saw Granger's eyes divert over to him quickly before glaring back at Pansy.

_What is that imbecile doing here? I didn't know this argument was open to all the garbage in the school. Whatever, Malfoy is not going to get to me. I'm going to finish this with Pansy whether hes here or not. _

"Well Mudblood, what are you going to do? Hex me? I dare you," Pansy growled while reaching into her robe to have a steady hold on her wand.

"Why would I even put forth the effort? I'd rather not waste my energy or risk getting in trouble for the likes of you," Hermione snapped.

"You are such a little scared twit, Granger. If I wanted to I could beat the living crap out of you right now, but I'd rather not get your muddy blood all over my hands," she said coolly.

_Oh wow, I really think Granger's going to sock Pansy. Her fist is gripped so tight she could break a Bludger in her hands. _

"I would like to see you try," Hermione said, slightly pushing Pansy back. Pansy's mouth dropped open, surprised Hermione had the guts to even place a finger on her.

"You're going to be so fucked up you're stupid bloody muggle mother won't even recognize you," Pansy barked. Hermione's face froze and her fist slowly unclenched.

A pang of guilt hit Draco when he heard Pansy say this to Granger. He couldn't help but feeling the smallest bit of remorse for that comment about Granger's mother. No one deserved to lose a mother, not even a Mudblood.

_Maybe I should stop Pansy. This is getting a bit out of hand. There is no way Granger is going to be able to get out of bed for a week, let alone to go on the Hunt after Pansy massacres her. _

"Pansy, hold on," Draco finally spoke as he stepped in front of her, lightly pushing her shoulder back. Hermione looked at him curiously, with an eyebrow raised.

_Why is Malfoy getting involved in this? Wait, did he just tell her to hold on? He's probably just stopping her so he can put in his two damn cents. Didn't he see I've had enough of this. I don't need some stupid girl insulting my mother, nonetheless him joining in. _

"Why are you defending the Mudblood?" Pansy shrieked and hit Draco's hand that was keeping her back. Draco's eyes darted around the ring of students, all of them wondering what he had to say. The Slytherins were hanging on to his every word, in disbelief at what Draco was doing.

"I'm not defending the Mudblood, you idiot. I…" he stopped to think carefully about what he would say.

_Shit, shit, shit! What am I supposed to do? I can't say that I feel bad for Granger. And I also can't let Pansy hit her. If she does, there's no way me and Granger can win. She really doesn't deserve to be hit, it will do her face more damage than she's already been given. Ha Ha._

"I don't need you helping me, I'm fine on my own," Hermione spoke up as she pushed Draco back to face Pansy. Draco looked taken aback and his expression of surprised turned into a nasty smirk.

"Who said I was going to help you? I'm just here to make sure Pansy doesn't completely kill your Mudblood body so that you will be able to compete this weekend, even if it's just barely," Draco scoffed. He sneered when the words "barely" left his lips.

_I knew Malfoy was and will always be a fucking git._

"So Granger, you never did tell me what you're disgusting mother was drinking when she decided to fuck you're sad excuse for a father," Pansy said, getting dangerously close to Hermione. She saw Hermione cast a glance toward the floor as she took a deep breathe, trying hard not to cry. Pansy saw her reaction and let out a sinister grin. She could break Granger without even throwing a punch.

Draco saw the grin that crept onto Pansy's face when she saw Granger's reaction to her comment. Draco's stomach churned as he battled internally with himself.

_Poor Mudblood. Pansy's going to ruin her in a few seconds, I can't let that happen. A mentally deranged Granger can't be much better than a slaughtered one. But what can I do without having to show everyone I was helping Granger?_

Draco smiled to himself when he suddenly had an idea. He moved a step closer to Pansy and reached into his robes to poke the point of his wand out secretively.

"Oh I see Mudblood. You're touchy about you fucking moth----" Pansy yelled.

"_Silencio_," Draco muttered under his breath, nanoseconds before Pansy could finish her sentence. Meanwhile, Hermione, who was feeling a bit sick to her stomach at Pansy's comments, was bracing herself for the worst when she realized the worst did not come.

Pansy kept yelling but no sounds came out of her mouth. She looked around the circle furiously, trying to find the face of the person who had jinxed her. Hermione's mouth gaped open at the scene before her. Her first thought initially led her to look in Malfoy's direction.

_Did he just jinx her so she could not talk? I swear I just saw him mutter something under his breath but I could be wrong. Why would he do that?_

Pansy's arms began to flail wildly and her cheeks grew red as she stomped her foot. Draco put his wand away quickly and put on a look of surprise when she faced him.

"Oh, Pansy you poor thing, you best be going to the hospital wing," Draco said to her, putting a pout on his face to add to his act. Her mouth opened wide; clearly a scream was emmiting from her throat. Draco jerked his head over in the direction of Blaise.

"Go with Blaise, Pansy. He'll make sure you get their safety," he said and she sulkily walked over to Blaise. Blaise shot Draco a death glare before he left with Pansy.

"Now as for whoever jinxed Pansy…" Draco started as he bore vicious glances into the students around him. He then relaxed his glare and smirked.

"Good job."


	5. Invisible Armor

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**Hey guys, I'm glad everyone is liking the story ). I'm trying to make every chapter exciting and fresh haha so thats why all these random events keep occuring. Thanks to everyone whose reviewed, but a couple more reviews wouldn't hurt ;). LOVE YOU 3**

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Draco strummed his fingers impatiently on his desk during Potions, itching for time to fly by. The dank dungeon was dim, and to Malfoy's dismay, most of the students were clad in scarlet and gold.

_Smart arse Gryffindors are wasting their time in this class. All they do is make sure Longbottom doesn't set the school ablaze. . _

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, casually glancing around the room at the other students. His eyes landed on Granger, who was attentively listening to Snape's discussion on Sleeping Draughts. Her hand raced across the parchment in front of her, scratching furiously with her quill.

_Granger must be the biggest suck up in the school if she's trying to be on Snape's good side. She is writing so fast smoke is about to start billowing from her quill. Bloody hell, doesn't she realize Snape will never respect her? She's a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. _

Draco tried hard to suppress a grin when a flashback of Pansy and Granger's scuffle a few days ago came to him.

_Seeing Pansy go bonkers was probably one of the greatest moments of my life. Jesus, my life is pretty fucking pathetic if that's one of the highlights. It was quite hilarious, almost as good as the time Goyle used his broom as kindling to start a fire instead of using magic. Idiot._

" Tsk Tsk Granger, what is that monstrosity you call a potion? You're lucky I'm not making you drink that mess. You might turn into an otter with boils, even though that's not much different from you now," Snape commented to Granger as he walked to her desk to inspect the potion tshe had made. Draco smirked when he saw Granger's face turn red.

"I-I thought it was right," Hermione muttered, looking over her notes trying to construe was she had done wrong. She looked up at Snape who was shaking his head at her efforts to find the error.

_Of course somethings wrong with **my **potion.Snape is seriously the biggest jerk teacher in all of Hogwarts. The only reason he picks on me is because I'm in Gryffindor. If I was in Slytherin, he'd be painting me gold and putting me in the trophy cabinet! My potions perfectly fine, I followed the steps exactly. What the hell is with Snape, oh and now he is giving me a funny look…._

Hermione looked up to see Snape eyeing her in an uncomfortable way as he walked to the back of the room. She squirmed in her seat under his intimidating glare. Snape kept his gaze on the young girl as he circled the back of the room, carelessly glancing at the other student's potions. Malfoy watched Snape's movements, confused as to what he was doing.

_Snape's creeping me out, just a bit. He's being harder on Granger than usual. Even I can see her potion was dead on. And then he starts giving her funny looks as if….. No he couldn't. That's disgusting… Snape FANCIES Granger?!_

"Remember your five page analysis on the potion we have created today, will be due promptly next class. If it slips your mind, my hand will slip on your grades and you will be given a lovely F. You are all dismissed except Granger. You will stay here," he announced to the class, breaking Malfoy out of his thought.

_Now that's even weirder. He wants to see her after class too? What kinda game is he playing, hes a professor for Christ's sake. Game! That reminds me, Granger and I have got to start working on some stuff for the competition, its in two days. Ugh, let me ask her before she shags Snape…god thats disgusting._

"Granger, hold on a second," Malfoy shouted over the students filing out of the dungeon. He saw Granger glance up over the people to acknowledge his call.

_What could Malfoy possibly want? I don't need to be embarrassed in this class enough. Snape's done a pretty good job. I don't know what he can possibly want with me after class now._

"What is it Malfoy?" Hermione spat once everyone had left and he had approached her.

"Look, I don't want to be around you anymore than I have to, but we really need to practice Charms for the competition if we want to have a shot at winning," Malfoy said bluntly. Hermione disdainly nodded in agreement.

"Fine then, when are you free?" she asked.

"I am right now actually, I don't have class for another two hours," Malfoy told her. Hermione shrugged at this and motioned her hand over to the impatiently waiting Snape that sat at his desk.

"I don't have class either, let me just get this meeting or whatever it is over with Snape and I'll meet you outside the Room of Requirement, "she said to him. Malfoy sneered and looked over at Snape.

"Have loads of fun Mudblood," he smirked and headed toward the door. Reluctantly, Hermione sighed and walked over to Snape's desk.

Outside the dungeon, Draco paced impatiently, deciding if curiosity would get the better of him.

_Man, I really want to see Snape tear Granger apart. She'll probably start bawling and everything. I could put on an Invisibility Charm and hide in the corner to spy on them. Perfect!_

Draco looked around the empty hallway to see if the coast was clear. He saw no one and pulled out his wand to perform the charm.

* * *

"Ms. Granger, you really are creating some horrific potions this semester. What seems to be the issue here?" Snape snapped at Hermione, who was nervously bouncing on her heels. 

_God he's an asshole. He knows damn well all of my work is up to par and is ten times better than any one elses'. Even the git Malfoy's._

"Really Professor, I think I'm doing alright. My potions are exceeding the rest of the classes' and I do work hard on all my essays, I think you're being a bit unfair," she argued. Snape let out an eerie grin and then smirked at Hermione's confused expression.

"Oh, so you think you're the best potion's student that has ever graced these dungeons and that I should be absolutley floored by your skills? Is that it? Because if it is, you are very well mistaken little girl," he snarled.

"I didn't mean it that way!" Hermione said in defense of herself. Snape got up from his desk and leaned forward, dangerously close to Hermione's face.

"You could be getting better marks you know.. if you did one little thing for me," Snape said in a low voice as he reached his hand out and stroked Hermione's leg.

_Oh my god, what is he doing? This is gross, Snape is hitting on me! Shit, how am I supposed to get myself of out this mess._

"Professor, what are you doing?" Hermione yelped as she backed away quickly. Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Draco, who was protected under the Invisibility charm, was standing a few feet away from Snape's desk when he saw Snape's hand reach out to Hermione's leg. Something in Draco's stomach lurched when he saw this gesture.

_Holy shit, he's trying to feel her up. This is insane, what the hell am I supposed to do. Granger looks scared out of her wits, and Snape's snarling like a boar. What if he tries to hurt her? God damn my curiosity. _

"Come on love, no one would ever know," Snape said, attempting to sound soothing as he walked from behind his desk to Hermione, who was already heading for the door.

"Get away from me, you pervert," Hermione growled, now running .Snape was too quick, and reached his arm out to grab hers, spinning her towards him.

_He's going to knock me out in a second if I don't do something. Oh my god, what am I supposed to do. Maybe if I fight him off I can get away, no harm in trying._

"I said stop!" Hermione yelled, kicking her feet furiously, trying to pull out of his grip.

"You're making so much bloody noise!," Snape shouted as he reached into his robes for his wand, while dodging Hermione's weak efforts in harming him. Draco moved uneasily in his position, reaching for his wand as well.

_That bloody bastard is going to try to rape Granger! Oh, why do I have the most nagging self conscious in the fucking world. Time for Draco to come to the rescue...again._

Draco jumped toward the two struggling and grabbed Hermione, pulling her out of Snape's grasp. Hermione looked around clueless at the empty room. Snape also was perplexed when he saw this action and brandished his wand, pointing it at the air in front of him.

"Who is there, show yourself!" he bellowed. At this moment, Draco took off his Invisibility Charm and could see the amazed shocked expression that Hermione bore. Snape's mouth gaped open, his wand hand lowering.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Professor?" Malfoy yelled, motioning for Hermione to go to the door.

"Surely a little fun never hurt anyone Mr. Malfoy," Snape said to him, smiling evily. Draco gripped his wand tighter, pointing it threateningly at Snape. He felt his heart become lighter when he heard the door to the dungeon slam shut; signifying Granger was out of harm's way.

"Don't you ever go near her again, you understand? Or I will kill you, so help me Merlin," Draco said through his gritted teeth. Snape walked closer to him, ignoring the wand that was now at his throat.

"I'd like to see you try," he hissed, glaring Draco in the eyes. He then pushed Draco backwards and walked back to his desk. Stunned, Draco stood there, watching Snape walk away. He regained his composure and sprinted toward the door.

_I can't believe I just threatened to kill a Professor, and for what. That Mudblood Granger. What the hell is wrong with me?_

Draco closed the dungeon door behind him, breathing heavily. He looked around to see if anyone was in the hall before going to leave when he heard a muffled whimper. He looked down to see Granger on the floor, leaning against the wall with her face buried in her hands.

_Oh Great. Now I have to be her damn psychiatrist. Can't the girl just be happy she hadn't been ravished by a forty year old man?_

"What's the matter, Granger?" Malfoy asked as he sat down on the floor next to her. Her sobs stopped momentarily and she raised her face to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy with streaks of tears down her face, her lip red from biting it.

"Why did I do to deserve this?" she whispered, staring into his hard grey eyes. He sighed and leaned back on the wall.

"You studied too damn much, that's what you did," he said to her. Her sobbing began once again as her face disappeared into her lap.

"I was joking Granger!" Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably in his position when he heard no response from her besides more sniffling.

_Now I really did it. She's never going to pick up another book for the rest of her life because of a joke…actually that's not _so_ terrible. God..__she looks so sad and pathetic just sitting there crying. At this rate, we're never going to get anything done for the damn contest._

"Look Granger, Snape's just a Grade A jerk. You didn't do anything wrong, he's ja horny git that went looking for love in the wrong place, and you happened to be there," Malfoy said as-a-matter-of-factly to Hermione. Her sobbing quieted and she rubbed her nose onto the sleeve of her robe looking back at Malfoy.

"You think so?" she asked him, sniffing once more.

"I know so," he told her and reached out to wipe away a stray tear.

_That was awkward. What in heaven's name possessed me to touch her._

"Now let's get a move on to start practicing already. I swear woman, you're always getting into trouble," Malfoy said to her, standing up. He waited for her as she slowly began to rise.

"Remind me to invite Snape to our dorm warming party when we win this fucking thing," Hermione said sarcastically and began stomping down the hall. Draco stood there for a moment unmobile and then chuckeld to himself. He smiled at a thought that sprung into his mind as he raced to catch up to her.

_Note To Self: Granger's Bipolar. Must buy her medication sometime. _


	6. I Hope You Choke

"I mean, I think we have a pretty good chance when it comes down to our magical ability versus the other teams," Hermione considered to Malfoy as they walked down the corridor to the Great Hall.

"You mean MY magical ability," Draco scoffed while glaring at the other students who stared at them quizzically. He had proven to Granger his talent and ability in the Room of Requirement and he was sure he had impressed her.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, ferret. You did screw up a few of the easiest charms ever," she laughed. Malfoy scrunched his nose and scowled at the thought that he did goof up on a couple charms.

_Hey, no one's perfect right? I mean I __**was **__able to show her that I could transfigure anything in the drop of a hat, Miss Known It All Mudblood was a bit slower on that end. God I'm really getting sick of nosy people in this school. What the hell! Why is everyone staring at us in the bloody hallway?! Oh..Well maybe its because I am walking with my sworn enemy. But it's only for strategic gaming purposes right...Right. _

"You know you're really lucky to be paired with me, Granger. Dumbledore did say this contest has to do with physical endurance too. I don't think you could endure a cock fight with a damn house elf." Malfoy retorted. Hermione's mouth dropped open and her cheeks turned a tint of red.

"How dare you say I am not physically fit! Mind you, I use to play Muggle football before I came here. And another thing, why would anyone ever fight with a house elf?" she questioned. Malfoy laughed at the thought of Granger actually playing a sport, having to run around all willy nilly.

"Granger, I'd like to see you beat me in a game of football," he challenged. Hermione bit her lip in thought.

_Well… I said I played, not that I was good. Damn Malfoy could probably run circles around me. Stupid physically fit ogre. Why in the name of Merlin is he even walking to the Hall with me? Everyone's staring at us like we're from outer space. Well, I am walking with Malfoy here, that could be understandable. _

"I gave you a challenge Mudblood, are you going to play me or what?" he asked her, stretching his arms over his head in preparation of Hermione's demolition in football. Hermione lightly pushed Malfoy on his chest, causing him to sidestep.

"You wish Blondie," she answered with a full toothed smile.

_Although Granger still looks like the remnants of what I ate for supper last night, her smile isn't half bad. A little less like a beaver…more like a nice little donkey. Which makes sense since she's such a stubborn ass. _

_Note to Self: Should consider being a comedian. Have Muggle Tattoo Artist make Dark Mark look like Bozo the clown. _

"I may be blonde but at least my hair doesn't look like a witch's broom," Malfoy snapped back as they reached the door to the Great Hall. He reached out to open it for her and then paused.

_Oh no, I am not doing another good deed for her again. I think threes a bit overreaching._

"Oops, sorry Granger! Must have slipped," Malfoy laughed as he let the heavy door go while she walked through, causing it to hit her in the back and fly forward.

"Slimy git," Hermione muttered under her breath and began to get up, dusting herself off. The students around them laughed at the site, a few praising Draco for his display.

"Nice job Draco, really swept her off her feet," Blaise commented as he walked up to Draco surveying the scene. Draco smiled and let out a hearty laugh.

"Yes, I tend to have that effect on women sometimes, "he said as they walked over to their table to eat lunch. He saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye gritting her teeth in anger.

_Sheesh you would think I killed her damn cat with the way shes staring me down. _

"So how's the whole partner thing for the competition going? You guys kill each other yet?" Blaise questioned when they had comfortably sat down at the table.Draco grabbed a sandwich and began munching on it.

"Well, we practiced a bit today and let me tell you, Granger's crazier than I thought. She didn't let us rest for a second. It was a damn laser light show with all of the spells and charms being cast constantly," Draco said, recalling their time in the classroom. Blaise laughed as he took a chicken leg off the large plate in front of them.

"Hmmm...If I hadn't known better I would have thought you two have been getting along awfully well," he said with a small grin. At this remark, Draco coughed on a bite of his sandwich and began gasping for air. The air however, did not come as planned. His eyes grew large and he slammed on the table with his hand.

_I'm choking, holy shit, I am bloody choking! And Blaise is just laughing at me like a damn idiot!_

Blaise gasped for air as he laughed uncontrollably but then his expression was filled with concern when he realized this wasn't a joke.

"Oh shit man! Are you okay?" Blaise asked him, jumping up from his seat on the bench. Draco's face turned a shade of purple as he put his hands to his throat. Blaise stood motionless as he watched Draco try to cough, but no noise came out.

"Will one of you idiots save him?" a high pitched shriek came from behind Blaise. Draco saw Granger through a blur of his tears standing up from her table with a look of worry on her face.

_Will someone listen to Granger for once in their life! Oh god I'm going to die choking on a ham sandwich for Merlin's sake. Just lovely._

"I'll help you Drakie poo," the sickeningly sweet voice of Pansy sounded in Draco's ear beside him. He felt her strong arms reach around his stomach and pump furiously. Draco's eyes bulged out of his sockets as he felt one of his ribs surely break.

_She's going to kill me! Help me god Pansy is going to bloody kill me!_

Draco felt the oxygen in his body began to deplete, and he felt he would pass out right then when he felt the strong arm's of Pansy loosen from his body and be replaced with soft, comforting ones. The small arms pumped under his navel and he felt the food in his throat leave his mouth and then all he saw was blackness.

"You saved him Granger! You're a damn angel!" Blaise yelled in glee when he saw the food dislodge from Draco's throat. He climbed over the table to wrap Hermione in a bone breaking hug. She smiled meekly at this gesture, seeing the eyebrows of the Slytherin's raise. Blaise put her down and stared at all of them.

"Are you boneheads serious? She saved your damn Prince Malfoy and all you are worried about is that she's a Gryffindor?!" he yelled at the crowd. Disgusted at their actions he looked at Hermione and shook his head.

"I for one thank you, even if my half brained housemates don't realize a good deed when they see it," he told her.

"It's really no big deal Blaise...he was choking, it was just the right thing to do. Malfoy or no Malfoy," Hermione said to him and kneeled on the floor to inspect Malfoy's unconscious body.

_I just saved the Slytherin Prince, so help me. He is never going to live this one down I'll tell you that much. Now, to bring him to the hospital wing…_

"Blaise, I'm going to have to levitate him to Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said pulling out her wand. Blaise looked at Malfoy's limp body and fidgeted.

"Would you mind if I did it Granger? I feel bad for not helping him and he **is **my best mate you know," he said uneasily. Hermione gave him a warm smile and nodded.

"Sure, you can take him if you'd like. I'll stop by the Hospital Wing Later to make sure he's alright," she said to him and began walking back to her table, feeling the eyes of the entire hall on her.

An hour passed in the empty hospital wing until Draco showed movement in his bed. Slowly, his eyes began to open to a curtained room. A loud noise beside him made him jump.

"Thank god you're alive!" Blaise shouted at Draco's bedside, instantly regretting it when he saw him knock over the glass of water on the table.

"Could you be any louder?" Draco groaned as he began to sit upright in the bed.

_Wow, how long have I been in here? If it hadn't been for stupid Pansy I'd probably be dead. Now I owe her one, just great._

"I'm sorry man. I'm just really glad you aren't dead or anything though," Blaise said while cleaning up the spilled water. Draco laughed at his failed efforts to soak up the water with a wad of tissues and handed him his wand.

"Blaise, will you just make it vanish for crying out loud?" he said. Blaise turned pink and mumbled under his breath.

"Oh right, sorry," and with a flick of the wand the mess was gone. Draco put his arms above his head and leaned back into the pillows, yawning.

"So, what the hell should I buy Pansy as a thank you gift, I mean if I don't get her something she's going to expect another type of gift in return if you catch my drift," Draco said to Blaise. Blaise put on a confused look and shook his head.

"Pansy didn't do shit, Draco. She almost damn near killed you by breaking one of your ribs that Pomfrey had to fix up," Blaise told him and sat back on his chair.

_If Pansy didn't save me who did?_

"Well than, do you care to tell me who I owe my pathetic life to?" Draco asked, waiting impatiently for an answer. A small smile crept on Blaise's face as he got up to lay a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"That would be Hermione Granger."


	7. The Purrfect Gift

"GRANGER?" Draco yelled wildly, grabbing Blaise's collar and shaking him furiously.

"Yes, Hermione Granger," Blaise said calmly, taking Draco's hands off of his collar and placing them back onto the hospital bed.

_This shit is NOT happening, good god. My life has turned into a nightmare, one bad thing after another with that stupid wtich keeps happening. _

"Why did you let her touch me!" Draco said, shuddering at the thought of Granger's arms around his waist.

"You are a complete bastard sometimes, you know that? If it wasn't for her you would be roasting in bloody hell," Blaise told him, ashamed of Draco's reaction.

_What the hell is this? A fucking television sitcom; Everybody Loves Mudblood? _

"She's a mangy Mudblood for crying out loud. She's stubborn, annoying, a know it all and she **always** has to have things her way, like she's that stupid Muggle food chain Burger King!" Draco whined. Blaise looked at Draco and rolled his eyes at his childish behavior.

"Face it Malfoy, you and Granger have more things in common than you think. And I am going to make sure you give her a proper thank you for saving you, even though sometimes I really think she shouldn't have," Blaise said. Malfoy sighed and glared up at the white ceiling.

_This gits really going to make me get her a thank you gift isn't he? Ugh, I should really just by her a rake to comb that hair of hers. I'm sure she'd appreciate that one._

"Fine Zambini, I'll get the damn girl a gift if it will make you shut up," Malfoy growled as he began to get up from his bed. Blaise tossed him his robe that had been draped over a chair and started to exit the curtained room.

"Good boy, Malfoy. I'll just go tell Madame Pomfrey you're good to go and we'll head down to Hogsmeade before dinner to get your knight in shining armor a gift," Blaise said with a smile and headed out.

_More like a shining beaver in robes._

* * *

"How about this?" Blaise asked Draco, holding up a heart shaped box of chocolates. The two boys had been hunting for the perfect gift for Hermione in Hogsmeade for two hours already and their endeavors finally led them to The Cat's Meow, a small gift shop a few doors down from the Three Broomsticks.

"You've got to be kidding me. There is no way I am getting Granger anything portraying a heart. This isn't a wedding proposal," Draco scoffed as he peered at the vast amount of shelves that lined one of the store walls.

"By the way you two act I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Blaise mumbled in a barely audible voice while poking around a display of glass rose figurines.

"Say that a little louder next time and your going to get cursed into next Saturday," Draco threatened. Blaise threw up his hands innocently and backed up.

"I didn't say a word," he responded with a small grin.

_To this day I wonder how I ended up with this moron as a best friend. If it wasn't for dear old Dad dropping me off at the Zambini Mansion one boring weekend when I was a toddler I wouldn't have to deal with his pathetic sense of humor and ridiculous gift giving customs._

"This is such a pain in the ass," Draco complained. He put an Ever- Blooming Flower back on the shelf and gazedat the packed walls, desperate to find something.

"Well, if it had been Pansy that saved you, what would you have gotten her?" Blaise questioned. Draco shrugged and pointed to a glass display case next to them.

"Probably some stupid necklace or something. She always wants the best and most expensive jewelry there is, that spoiled brat," Draco said, recalling on many a Valentine's Day he had to put up with that girl and her high class taste.

"I don't think you need to get Hermione anything fancy, just something small to show her you care," Blaise remarked. Draco glared at him as if he had three heads.

"I **don't **care, you dim wit," Draco retorted. Blaise pursed his lips together and nodded.

"Whatever you say, Draco."

_Has Blaise lost his mind? He keeps acting like there is something going on between me and Granger. Ha! Even if she was the last girl on earth, if you can even call her that, I wouldn't even touvh her with a ten foot wand._

"Just write her a thank you card or something, this is getting ridiculous," Blaise said as they looked through a rack of candles.

"Finally, a smart suggestion!" Draco exclaimed and started to lead the way to the exit when something caught his eye near the front desk.

_Bloody Perfect._

"Draco I thought we were leaving, wait what are you staring at?" Blaise said as he walked over to where Draco was inspecting something thoroughly.

"I think I've got it, it's got Granger stamped all over it," Draco said and held up the gift to Blaise with a smile in his face. Blaise slowly formed a grin with his mouth when he saw what Draco had found. He reached out and slapped Draco on the back heartily with his hand.

"I always knew you were a romantic," he commented while nodding approvingly. Draco's mouth gaped open and he dropped the gift.

"Romantic? No way am I getting this for her if you think it shouts I LOVE YOU," Draco quickly said. Blaise picked the gift up again and pressed it back into Draco's hand shaking his head.

"You're buying it, end of story," he proclaimed and headed for the door waving on his way out.

"I'll meet you back up at the Castle," he shouted as the door closed behind him.

"Why do you always win?" Draco mumbled under his breath as he walked up to the witch running the register, gift in hand.

_Note to Self: Next time Granger saves my life, wrap up a chew toy._

* * *

"Nice of you to finally show up," Blaise said to Draco, who was panting for breath as he took his seat across from Blaise at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall.

"The damn lady at the gift store would not shut up. She kept asking me about the lucky girl I was buying the gift for , it was like the bloody inquisition," Draco said while pouring himself a large glass of pumpkin juice.

"Did you tell her it was for the ravishing young Hermione Granger, who coincidentally was also asking about how you were a few minutes before you showed up?" Blaise remarked. At this, he saw Draco's eyes instantaneously dart over to where Hermione was seated.

_I can't believe she asked Blaise if I was alright. The girl that hates me with every bone in her body was concerned for my health? She was probably dying to know if I had lost a couple brain cells so she'd have a chance at kicking my ass on the N.E.W.T.S. Ha, Dare to dream, Granger. _

"I actually told the woman I had scorched Filch's eyebrows off and it was a peace offering," Draco laughed, soon being joined in by Blaise. A few moments later, food appeared on the plated in front of them and they hungrily began devouring it. After a while of nonstop cramming, they were interrupted.

"Excuse me, students, may I have your attention for a moment," the loud and booming voice of Dumbledore projected over the Great Hall. Draco put down the chicken leg he was chewing on and stared up at the Head's Table. He saw Hermione over Blaise's shoulder trying to hush the giggling girls surrounding her. Draco smiled at this action.

_Leave it to Granger to shut up the entire hall to hear whatever bullshit Dumbledore has to tell us._

"This announcement is for those competing in the Hunt," he started off saying. Draco's ears perked up and he leaned forward, making sure he'd catch every word.

"Tomorrow is the day before the competition and I need to meet with all the competitors in my Office tomorrow promptly at 8 AM," he announced. Draco furrowed his eyebrow trying to think of why Dumbledore would need to meet with them at such an early hour.

"Also, make sure you all get a good nights sleep and eat heartily, you will need your strength," he concluded with the usual twinkle in his eye, signifying something mischievous.

"I wonder what the hell that's all about." Draco wondered aloud. Blaise shrugged and picked up another chicken leg, thrusting it toward Draco.

"I have no idea, but he says you should eat up, so bon appetite!" Blaise said. Draco took the leg from Blaise and put it on his plate. For some reason he just wasn't hungry. He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach that resembled butterflies.

_I can't believe I actually feel nervous about giving Granger her gift. I hope she'll like it...wait, what am I saying? I don't care about what she thinks; she is lucky I even thought to get her something. Oh god, what if she thinks I like her ? Great, now the stupid contest is going to be even more awkward with her avoiding glances with me the entire time. Good job, Draco._

"I'm done, I can't eat anymore," Draco groaned and pushed his empty plate forward. He saw the students around him start to get up to leave the Hall. In the distance, he could see the bushy head of Granger rising from her seat.

"Are you going to give Hermione her gift or what?" Blaise questioned, seeing Draco's eyes concentrating on something over his shoulder, what he undoubtedly presumed was her.

"I'm going already," Draco snapped and got up from his seat. He grabbed the small wrapped package he had off of the bench and headed to catch up with Granger. He quickened the pace as he saw her go through the doors.

"Granger!" he called out when she was about fifteen feet ahead of him in the hall. She whirled around at hearing her name. She saw Draco and a sour look appeared on her face.

_Nice of him to finally show up. Does he even know I went to the Hospital Wing looking for him to make sure he was alright? That selfish jerk._

Mulling over her thoughts , she stood there impatiently tapping her foot.

"What do you want, Malfoy? I'm about to go to bed" she said. In a few strides,Draco was now in front of her, rocking uneasily in his place.

"Sheesh, Granger. Could you lose the attitude for a mere five seconds? "Malfoy asked. Hermione must have been surprised at his almost friendly tone because she bore an embarrassed look and instantly stopped tapping her foot.

"Did you need something?" she questioned. Draco looked down at his feet and mumbled something under his breath.

"I didn't quite catch what you said," Hermione told him, slowly losing her patience.

_What is he trying to say? I save his life and now he's turned into Saint Malfoy ? _

"Ahem..," he cleared his throat, meeting Hermione's eyes. She motioned her hand for him to continue.

"ThankyouforsavingmylifeMudblood," he said, louder this time. but still a mess. Hermione wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"I can't understand you, speak clearer for goodness sake," she told him. He let out a big sigh and shifted awkwardly.

_Why does the damn girl have to be so deaf all of a sudden?_

"I said thank you for saving my life, Mudblood," he repeated loudly. Hermione let out a small smirk and shook her head, not even wincing at the word Mudblood. The term was almost endearing to her now.

"Really, it's not a big deal Malfoy. I mean, what I was going to do with a dead partner?" she laughed.

"Nothing I guess," Malfoy replied. He fingered the package he held behind his back, hesitant as when to give it to her.

"Well, if that's all I'll see you tomorrow then," she said politely and turned around to leave. Malfoy reached out his arm and tapped her shoulder.

"Wait, I… I kind of got you something for saving me," he blurted out.

_He did what?_

"You got me something?" Hermione said slowly, looking at him like he was a completely different person.

"Here,take it. But Just so you know, buying you something was Blaise's idea, not mine," Draco said, making sure she understood. He put his hand out that held the oddly wrapped gift and dropped it into Hermione's outstretched hand.

"This is…unexpected. Wow Malfoy, you really didn't have to get me anything," Hermione said, eyeing the package as if it would explode.

"Of course I know I didn't you fool," he snapped. She held the package in her hand, still looking at it uneasily.

"Well, are you going to open it?: Draco asked.

_Oh wow, I must look like a bloody idiot standing here with the gift in my hand inspecting it._

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot," she mumbled. Hermione tore the packaging off the oddly shaped lump and revealed a small, stuffed animal. It was an orange cat, much like her precious Crookshanks. The tiny cat held a dangling string in its mouth that held a sign at the end of it that read "Thank You!" Hermione gasped and plastered a huge smile on her face. She looked up at Draco and beamed.

"Oh, Malfoy! It's the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Thank you so much," she said in one breath, hugging the animal close to her chest. Draco couldn't help but grin back seeing how ecstatic she was over such a small, inexpensive gift.

_Wow, she's really nothing like Pansy. Pansy would have probably taken that gift and thrown it into the fireplace. Granger is smiling like it's Christmas morning. God, I feel like a damn woman, being all sentimental. What garbage._

"It's really no big deal, its just some silly cat," Malfoy said back, trying to downplay the gift as much as he could. It clearly did not work because she shook her head furiously.

"No, it's absolutely wonderful, thank you," she said with glee and subconsciously threw her arms around Malfoy in an awkward hug.

_What the hell! I'm hugging Malfoy, oh my god I've completely lost it this time._

As almost as quickly as she threw her arms around him, she pulled back, her face flushed. Malfoy had been still as a board when she embraced him and was still standing motionless when she drew back.

"I'm so sorry I was just…umm," Hermione started to say and fidgeted uncomfortably in her position.

"What the hell was that?!" Draco yelled, making Hermione move back quickly.

"I didn't mean it, it was just…I have to go," she said in a panic and quickly turned, running down the corridor. Draco stood there, his brain working double overtime analyzing what had just occurred.

_I can't believe she just hugged me. She must be drinking that damned FireWhiskey again because I really don't think that stupid stuffed cat was worth her sacrificing all those years of avoiding being within 5 feet of me to hug me. Fucking crazy Granger._

Draco yawned and looked around at the now empty corridor and decided to begin his march to his dormitory, laughing to himself when he thought of his lesson learned for the day.

_Note To Self: When eating ham sandwiches, cut into small pieces to avoid almost choking to death and having to buy Granger stuffed animals resulting in awkward hugging situation. _


	8. A Simple Feather

**Thank you so much to everyone who reads and reviews ) I love the feedback, I'm really trying to incorporate peoples suggestions into the story. Especially the Note to Selfs which I find amusing to throw in. I'm also attempting to put more of Hermione's thoughts in because I realized last chapter and the one before dealt mostly with Draco. I guess I find Draco more entertaining to write about because hes a funny character. Thank you again! **

* * *

The bright sun leaked through the windows of Hogwarts Castle this early Friday morning,;waking up many agroggy eyed students to have them start off their hum drum days. However; Hermione Granger, sound asleep and dead to the world, snuggled deeper within her scarlet blankets, clutching a small stuffed animal to her chest. Around her, the other girls' hustled and bustled about, drying their hair and applying pounds of makeup to their tired faces. An impatient Ginny Weasley sighed as she walked over to Hermione's bed to awake her.

"Sleeping Beauty, it's time to wake up!" she shouted loudly, shaking Hermione's shoulder. She opened one eye to see a flustered Ginny above her.

_Oh no, morning already? I feel like I've only slept for an hour. Come to think of it, I didn't sleep that well last night, all on account of that damned Draco Malfoy and his stupid gift giving extravaganza._

"Five more minutes," Hermione groaned, pulling the covers over her head. Ginny, already use to dilly dallying boys in her household, snatched the cover away from her and tossed it aside.

"You don't have five more minutes, you've got to get down to Dumbledore's office don't you?" she asked. At the mention of this, Hermione's eyes snapped open and she bolted upright in bed.

"Oh no, I completely forgot!" she yelped. Jumping out of bed, she knocked her stuffed animal onto the floor. Ginny knelt down and picked up the stuffed cat, eyeing it closely.

"Where did you get this from?" she questioned, holding it up so Hermione would see.

"My mum," Hermione lied through her teeth as she began gathering clothes from her trunk.

"Why would your mum give you a Thank You gift?" Ginny shot back, She was quick to read people and she could tell what Hermione was saying was the farthest thing from the truth.

"Let me go change and I'll tell you on the way downstairs, I promise," Hermione said, rushing to the bathroom with a pile of clothing under her arm. A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom clad in her usual robes with her hair put up into a messy tousle.

"Ready to spill?" Ginny asked her as they headed for the stair case. Hermione shuddered and looked at Ginny with a cloudy gaze.

"Alright, you remember how I saved Malfoy from choking yesterday?" she said. Ginny nodded her head with a grin.

"How could I forget? You were like bloody SuperWoman, pouncing over all of the tables and nearly knocking Pansy into a wall to save him," she commented with a giggle. Hermione rolled her eyes at the mention of her daring rescue.

"Well, after dinner last night, Malfoy thanked me for saving him and he gave me that stuffed animal," Hermione said nonchalantly. Ginny's jaw dropped and she stood motionless and stunned.

"Malfoy gave you that?!" she shrieked. Hermione nodded her head and pulled on Ginny's sleeve to make her start walking.

"Shh, don't be so damn loud, I don't want the entire school knowing," Hermione hissed. Ginny shook her head in disbelief and lowered her voice significantly.

"That gift is awfully…romantic don't you think?" she commented. Hermione stuck her tongue out and winced.

"Malfoy being romantic? You must be out of your mind. Malfoy absolutely hates me, or has that small detail slipped your mind?" she snapped. Ginny looked hurt by the nasty reply Hermione made.

_Poor Ginny. I didn't mean to make her on the verge of tears. Why am I such a bloody bitch sometimes? It's almost like I am Malfoy's female counterpart, ha ha. That's a load of bullocks. The only part of me like Malfoy is our damned magical ability and that's even a big stretch on his end._

Hermione's face softened as she reached out to touch Ginny's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Gin; I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just weird having to deal with Malfoy so much as I've had to in the last week, and he's got these damned different personalities. One day he can be the huge prat we all know, and the next he can be almost human," Hermione explained. Ginny looked up at her with compassion in her emerald green eyes.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry Mione. I forgot that you had all this to deal with and I haven't been really supportive," she said lowly. Hermione stopped walking and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Don't even worry about it, Gin." she said. The girls broke apart from the hug a few seconds later smiling, feeling the bonds of their friendship grow even stronger with the passing moments. BY now, they had reached the corridor where Hermione had to go her seperate way to Dumbledore's office.

"I'll see you later, Hermione! Make sure you fill me in on everything when you finish," Ginny called out as she started to walk down the opposite hall. Hermione waved her off and turned to head to Dumbledore's office when she found herself face to face with her reason for insomnia.

"Good morning, Granger," the voice of Malfoy drawled. He looked a bit tired, dark circles were lightly evident under his eyes and his hair was unruly misplaced, not the usual trademark of a Malfoy. Hermione looked at him curtly and nodded.

"Morning to you too, Malfoy," she said back. Draco looked at her disheveled appearance and smirked.

_Looks like Mudblood didn't get much sleep either. Leave it to that damned cat to ruin everyone's night._

"So..uh..what do you think this meeting is all about?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the subject general as they started to walk down the hall. Malfoy shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his head.

"Beats me. It's probably some stupid speech about the rules of the game and the spirit of competition, you know how Dumbledore is," he said with a meek grin. Hermione smiled back and instantly felt a blush rise on her cheeks.

_Damn that Draco Malfoy making me now feel embarrassed all of the time. It's like I'm standing in my underwear every time I'm talking to him. Hmm speaking on underwear,I do wonder what that Quidditch body of his looks like in his silky Slytherin boxers…oh ew what am I saying. _

Draco looked at Granger curiously, watching her stare straight at his chest and then move her gaze to the rest of his body. He smirked uncontrollably at the thought of Granger checking him out.

_Well I'll be damned, she** is** a girl! Her eyes are roaming all over me like I was a piece of steak dangling in a window. It is kind of appealing the way she's narrowing her eyes trying to picture me parading around in my underwear. Wait, what? Since when is bush head Granger appealing? Oh ,and there is **no** **way** she will be seeing me in my underwear in this lifetime if I have anything to do with it._

"Bloody hell Granger, I know I'm the sexiest man in this castle but really, would you contain yourself?" Draco said, causing her to snap out of her fantasizing and turn even redder.

"Oh please Malfoy, you are the last thing in the world I would be thinking about," she snapped back and quickened her steps to get away from him. As she walked ahead of him, Draco couldn't help but catch a glance at her backside.

_Never knew a Mudblood could have an ass like that, all round and perfect looking. Every other girl's is either flat as a board, or has a bloody satellite coming out of their pants. Oh, god this is disgusting, pull yourself together Malfoy. How can I even think of Granger's ass as being… nice? It's actually absolutely horrifying, can't even look at it. Nope, not even going to sneak a peek now that she's bent over picking up her wand._

_Note to self: Ask Granger if her mother is semi-related to that muggle Jennifer Lopez._

"What on earth are you thinking about?" Hermione asked him, causing Draco to emerge from his thoughts. He breathed in quickly, trying to erase the image of Granger walking in front of him out of his mind. He put a scowl on his face as he pushed ahead of Granger.

" Oh, just the look on your face you will have when your precious stuffed kitty explodes in your arms," he said dryly. Hermione's mouth gaped open.

"I knew you did something to it you bastard! How could you give me an explosive, have you lost your damn mind?!" she started shouting. Draco grinned seeing Hermione red faced, waving her hands about.

"Aren't you going to say something!" she yelled swinging her arms violently toward Malfoy. He grabbed both of her wrists in mid flight and leaned close to her. His hot breath tickling her nose and face.

"It was a joke," he said simply and threw her wrists down. Hermione stood there motionless, her senses going haywire

_The boy is such a little twit, I can't believe he'd even joke about something like that. But god, he smelled so good, and his breath made me feel dizzy, and how can I forget his steel eyes gazing into mine. Christ, Hermione! What am I thinking, this is Malfoy here. The same unemotional jerk that's tortured me for the past six years. He will never be anything more than that to me.….__**never.**_

"Fizzing Whizbees," Draco spoke in a loud, clear voice to the statue in front of them. They had reached Dumbledore's office. The statue quickly revolved, exposing a thick door. Hermione reached out to knock, but Draco placed his hand on hers shaking his head.

"It isn't necessary, he is expecting us," he said quietly. Hermione shuddered at his touch but quickly shook the feeling off. Draco was also blindsided by the small hint of lust he felt as he brushed his hand on hers, if only for a small moment. He simply thought nothing more of it and pushed open the heavy door.

"After you, my dear Mudblood," he said, bowing and motioning her in. Hermione looked at him and scoffed, walking forward into Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, the final two competitors have arrived, " Albus Dumbledore announced as he saw the two approaching the main room of his large office. Hermione and Draco sheepishly grinned seeing that everyone else around them had already arrived.

"Have a seat on the couch," Dumbledore coaxed pointing to a small leather couch in front of him. They walked over to the couch and sat down hesitantly, feeling the gazes of the others on them. Hermione squirmed at the attention and tapped her fingers on the couch.

"What's wrong with you?" Draco hissed. Hermione shot him a glare back and shook her head.

"Nothing you would be concerned about," she said back. Draco shrugged his shoulders and leaned back.

_Suite yourself Mudblood._

"Now that everyone is here and settled," Dumbledore said in a cheerful voice, "I will tell you what this whole meeting is about." The group of students stopped fidgeting in their seats and sat up straighter to fully hear what Dumbledore would say.

"You all know that tomorrow is the tournament correct?" Dumbledore asked. He was acknowledged with a chorus of "Yes'" and nods all around.

"Wonderful, yes very good. Well today I have gathered you here for a little game," he said. The students looked at each other quizzically. Draco cocked his head to the side, wondering what the crazy Headmaster had planned.

"The game I have for you will offer a prize. A prize that will help you in your conquest tomorrow," he told them. He paused for a moment, waiting for the anticipation to build in the room. Dumbledore saw the students lean forward, while small whispers where exchanged between partners. After seeing this display, he seemed ready to continue.

"If you win my game, you will be rewarded the clue for the first object you must find in the Scavenger Hunt today. You will be able to discuss with your partner the whereabout of the object and also it's identity. Having the clue given to you this early will surely give you a head start in the game, and possibly a large enough margin to ensure a victory," Dumbledore said. At this, the excitement amongst the students was apparent. Hermione was grinning next to Draco, practically bouncing on the couch.

"Malfoy, this is fantastic! All we have to do is win this and we're practically home free!" she babbled. Draco couldn't help but feel the anticipation rising in him but could feel his senses getting the better of him.

"Granger, don't be so daft. Just because we may have a head start if we win doesn't mean we should start packing our things to move to the Head's dormitories," he said bluintly. Hermione's face fell as she realized his statement was very true. She cursed herself realizing she had jumped to such a far fetched conclusion.

"Regardless, we still need to try and win this. So are you going to at least try, Malfoy?" she said. Draco looked at her and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Excuse me Granger but how long have you known me?" he asked her. She gave him a confused look in response to his question and thought for a moment.

"About six years, why?" she told him. He smirked and leaned toward her, putting his lips close to her ear making Hermione tremble.

"I would think in six years you would know that I am a **Malfoy** and that I do not lose…._**ever**_," he hissed. He lingered this way for a second, his lips lightly brushing her earlobe. He noticed Granger's body become tense and a small shake was noticeable. He leaned back into the couch again, smirking galantly knowing he could drive Granger crazy with only a whisper. Hermione was fumbling with her wand nervously now, trying to avoid looking at Malfoy out of the corner of her eyes.

_I can't believe that prat. It's almost as if he knows I now become completely dumbfounded and helpless when he does things like that. His voice was so low and husky, and his lips..oh hes soft lips were touching me, if only barely,had made my heart leap. God,this is **not **good, not good at all._

"I am assuming you've expressed your excitement with your peers by now?" Dumbledore asked rhetorically. He began to pace back and forth in front of the students.

"But now we must get on to the game I have for you today," he said to them. He stopped for a moment and reached into his pocket. He fiddled around until he paused for a second. He had found what he was rumaging for. His hand emerged momentarily after holding a white feather by one end. Draco raised his eyebrow and gave Granger a What-the-hell look next to him. She saw this motion and mouthed back "I have no idea."

"I bet you are all wondering why I am waving about a feather. Well this happens to be your task," he stated. The hushed sounds of students voices buzzed. Draco was eyeing Dumbledore carefully.

_What the hell is up Dumbledore's sleeve this time?_

"Your task is to levitate a feather," he said simply. Almost instantly the Prefects voices rose higher.

"That's the bloody task?" Draco asked in a wave of shock.

_Surely he has got to be out of his mind. The old man must know that they learned to levitate feathers in their first year. But here they all are now, competing to be Heads ,and having to levitate a feather is going to bring them closer to it._

"Yes as you so plainly put it. Levitating the feather is the task," he told them with his usual mischievous twinkle in his eye that the diligent Hermione caught.

"But do not think this is so easy Mr. Malfoy. You each will receive a feather that is bewitched. You will levitate the feather for as long as possible and the last person still levitating one will win the clue for them and their partner," he explained. Draco shook his head in bewilderment.

_This seems simple enough, but there must be a catch, this cannot possibly be it._

"Oh yes but that is it," Dumbledore said looking directly at Malfoy. Draco let out a small gasp.

_The old fool reads minds! Oh shit, he definitely just read that._

"But if you break concentration and the feather falls, it will disintegrate and you will be eliminated from the challenge. Mind you, this task will challenge you mentally and physically because by the looks of this group, many of you will be levitating for quite some time," he added. Hermione fingered her wand in her hand, itching to completely annihilate everyone in this task.

_So that's the catch. This bloody competition is going to go on for hours. Damn it I knew I should have woken up earlier to eat something at breakfast. Blasted Ginny._

"So, are we ready to begin?" Dumbledore asked the group. The students nodded and began to arise from their seats. Hermione looked at Draco and stuck out her hand. Draco looked at it questioningly, wondering what she was getting at.

"Are you ready to kick some wizard ass?" Hermione said with a glint in her eye.Draco was surprised at her sudden outburst and glared at her with intensity.

"You bet your bloody panties," he shot back and grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly. A jolt of electricity shot through him as they connected, making him jump back in surprise. Apparently she had felt it to, for she snatched her hand back immediately. They stared at each other for a moment and then harsh reality struck them. Malfoy was the first to comment.

"Just try and keep up Mudblood," Malfoy spat. Hermione knew with this that the moment between them was long gone and she quickly came back to her senses.

"Ha, in your dreams, Ferret. Now move aside, I've got a date with a floating feather," she scoffed and pushed him abruptly, making her way over to Dumbledore who was distributing the feathers to the other students. Draco shook his head, and plunged his hand into his robe to grab his wand. Smirking, he headed over to Dumbledore as well to pick up a feather.

_Note to self: Get Crabbe or Goyle to take Mudblood out to Hogsmeade one weekend so she never has to tell me that she is going on a date with an inanimate object again._


	9. For the Love of Mudbloods

**Hey, thanks for reviewing I'm really glad this story is coming along, I'm trying to update at least every other day now.**

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"Are we all ready?" asked Dumbledore, his voice ringing out loud in his office. Surrounding him in a semi-circle were the Prefects, wands in hand, feathers before them. For the most part, they all looked confident about the task ahead of them, many smirking widely. The students all gave curt nods at Dumbledore's question; unaware they were in quite over their heads. The only two that seemed to notice the difficulty of what lay ahead had their eyes locked on the headmaster. Draco was one of them along with Granger.Draco was stationed directly to Dumbledore's left ,forcefully gripping the wand, and breathing heavily. He broke his gaze with Dumbledore for a moment and looked sideways at Granger. She was biting her lip, trying to steady her uneven breathing as well.

_I have to hand it to the Mudblood, if I wasn't on her team, I'd be pretty damn intimidated right now. I'm surprised Potty isn't pissing his robes; especially now that Granger's stomping her feet on the ground like an angry bull. _

"Then we will start on the count of three," Albus said. Hermione took a split second to look at Draco next to her, seeing the burn for victory searing his eyes. She had to admit, his rigorous yearn for winning impressed her.

_God, Draco looks like hes about to rape that poor feather. I hope he keeps it in his pants until Dumbledore finishes counting or he'll be damn disqualified. Stupid impatient git._

"One," he said slowly, watching as the students stiffened their postures. He could see Harry practically dancing in his spot, his feet tapping wildly.

"Two," he said, this time seeing the wands of the students raise in perfect unison. Hermione used his pause to give Malfoy a final nod. He acknowledged her silent "Good Luck" by returning the gesture.

"Three!" Dumbledore exclaimed with glee. Around him he could hear all of the students' voices in harmony singing 'Wingardium Leviosa!'

Draco couldn't manage to suppress his smirk as he watched his feather levitate with ease. His wrists moved swiftly with his wand, keeping the feather way above the surface of the table in front of him.

_So maybe I was wrong, this can't be **so **difficult. I mean, I can do this all day, its just a bit of wand waving._

Hermione was also levitating her feather next to Draco with the utmost facility, trying hard not to yawn while her graceful hand waved her wand.

_Merlin, this is going to be absolutely boring, especially since we can't really talk to much because it may break others concentration. Blimey though, you must really be as thick as Crabbe or Goyle to not be able to levitate a feather for a few minutes._

She smiled in satisfaction, completely unaware that a few minutes would actually turn out to be a few hours as she continued with her wand movements, her feather levitating higher each time. Draco on the other hand, was no longer paying attention to his feather, but to the girl next to him. He saw the smile creep onto her face while she performed her magic, truly being in her element. Watching how happy and at peace Granger was when she did magic almost sickened him.

_What's so bloody great about magic anyway? I mean, yeah its useful, but its not so fan-fucking-tastic when you've been around it since you popped out of your mum. Hmm, well I **guess** that makes sense why Granger thinks it's the coolest thing since Cheese Whiz. She hasn't been around it all her life , it never ceases to damn amaze her. Aha! Thats why she's an unsufferable know it all! Duh, Draco._

Draco shook his head, erasing his thoughts about Granger from his mind quickly as he looked up at his feather which was now entangled with Hermione's. His stomach lurched as an odd sensation swept him. He felt the rush of blood come to his cheeks, feeling certain he was…_**blushing**?_

_WHAT THE HELL! _Why_ am I blushing? It's bloody dancing feathers! And why do I feel all funny like I've been socked in the chest. Oh no, I hope Granger's not staring at me right now, I probably look like a panicky mess. Whatever, I don't care if she looks at me, it doesn't matter what she thinks….**who am I kidding?** Shes going to laugh at me about this for the rest of my life if I don't think of a good excuse._

_Note to Self: WATCH YOUR DAMN LEVITATING FEATHER NEXT TIME!_

"God Professor, it's like an oven in here, could you make it a bit cooler with some spell? Or better yet, can you grab that book over there and fan my face a bit?" Malfoy asked Dumbledore,nervously laughing to himself about how brilliant and ridiculous he was. Next to him, he heard Granger emit an unlady like snort. He whipped his head over to look at her and sneer.

"I know I am funny Granger, but theres no need for you to turn into a farm animal over it," Draco said simply. Hermione turned red as she went back to concentrating on her feather, unable to come up with a retaliation to his insult.

"Now Mr. Malfoy, please refrain from accusing Miss Granger of being an animal, it's not polite. And I am sorry to say that this room is actually at a very pleasant temperature. Could it be you feel hot because you're embarrassed about something?" Dumbledore asked him coyly with a small grin. Draco, caught in the act, couldn't think of something to say back to him and decided to just scowl while returning to look at his feather.

_Well Dumbledore can just wheel his ass to the nearest bloody antique shop and slap a price on his smart mouth. Screw it then, If I can't even talk to Dumbledore or Granger without having either one of them piss me off I'll just do this in silence. _

Currently, while Malfoy pondered, a Miss Hermione Granger was fuming out of her ears in anger. Her wand movements were no longer graceful, but fast and sharp. Her feather lurched violently in the air. She kept levitating in silence but every few moments she'd let out an annoyed 'huff'.

_The **ferret** thinks he can call **me** a farm animal now does he? Fucking scum bag. I swear if he lets that blasted feather touch the table before mine does I am going to ring his stupid white neck, so help me Merlin._

Dumbledore sighed as he surveyed the scene before him.Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger seemed immersed in their own thoughts, obviously regarding the other, and were not speaking to each other while the other students were concentrating hard on their feathers. The lack of talking amongst them led to complete silence in the room, aside from the occasional huffing of Miss Granger, dissapointing the old Headmaster.

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"Six bloody hours, Professor!" Hermione gasped as she tried to ignore the painful throbbing in her arm. She winced at the sharp pain that shot up her leg, fighting to keep from collapsing onto the floor. Through teary eyes she could see the concerned faces of the students that had already let their feathers fall peering at her, as well as the figures of the three other students still left standing.

"I do feel your pain Miss Granger, however; this is an endurance test and it will be painful, as you already know," Dumbledore said calmly. Hermione fought a sob as she strained her body so that she could stand in a more comfortable position. She saw the looming feather above her, no longer swaying, but tiredly floating dangerously low above her head.

_I can't do this anymore, there's no way I'm going to be able to tough it out much longer, especially with Harry and Draco being left. _

She looked at Harry who was positioned directly across from her. Sweat was glistening on his brow as well as his flushed cheeks. Hermione could tell he was in severe pain as well because every once in a while he would wince and curse furiously as he clutched his wand arm. Her other competitor was next to him, a Ravenclaw named Ryan Abelson. He was initially no concern of Hermione's but now she didn't even know if she could beat him although he was violently spazzing.

_Oh please god let Draco be able to carry on once I collapse. I've changed my mind, I don't care if he beats me, and I'd rather lose and have him get the clue for both of us then having to die trying.. At least he out of all people seems to be holding up strongly._

Next to Hermione, Draco Malfoy was all but strong. His teeth were grinding together in the attempt of trying to ignore the blinding pain he was feeling in his arm. The blood that normally circulated through his body seemed to have left the right side of him as he fought to stay standing. However, this pain was nothing in comparison to what he was feeling for the small Gryffindor next to him.

_I don't think Granger is going to be able to make it out of this one in good enough health for tomorrow if she doesn't quit now. She's practically shaking the room with the trembles her body is having and it's all because of me. If she didn't want beat me so bloody badly she probably would have given up by now. It's not even Potter that she wants to lose, it's me._

"Mr. Abelson, I'm sorry but the game is now over for you," Dumbledore said kindly when he saw Ryan's feather float to the floor and disintegrate. The three competitors didn't notice Ryan falter, giving them a lovely suprise. Harry, Hermione, and Draco's eyes all seemed to spark with new enthusiasm when they saw Ryan take a seat on the couch with the others. Seeing him sitting made Hermione's blood taint with envy for wanting to sit down.

_This is it, I can feel it. My body can't deal with this any more. Draco can take it, he sure as hell deserves it._

"Draco, "Hermione managed to choke out right after she emitted a loud yelp of pain. He looked at her with soft eyes, reflecting his hurt into hers. She began to lower her wand in defeat when she felt a hand on her wrist keeping it up. Hermione turned to see Draco being the person attached to the hand, shaking his head visualizing "No."

"You can do this, Granger," he said to her in a low, but powerful voice. She tried to open her mouth in protest but his hand quickly moved from her wrist to her mouth, placing a single finger on her lips.

"It's yours," he whispered, and then dropped his wand. His feather instantly dropped from the air and landed onto the table, bursting into flames. Seeing as he had nothing left to give by standing there anymore, he dropped down to his knees.

_I've lost my mind completely. I just touched her wrist and her lips. Her soft and moist lips, oh no Draco. What are you doing to yourself, shes a Mudblood! And she will never be more then one no matter what she does._

Draco closed his eyes for a moment, battling with himself over Granger. One part of him wanted to end their feuding and to make peace, at least for the sake of the competition, but another was clinging tightly onto the beliefs bestowed on him since he was born. He could not however, finish this argument with himself because a loud scream made him open his eyes.

Hermione was standing there panting hard, grabbing her wrist, trying to keep the feather alive with every ounce of strength her body possessed. The scream had most certainly come from her being that all of the Prefects were now inching toward her, wanting to help.

For a fleeting second, Draco Malfoy suddenly gained more hate for Harry Potter then he had ever had in all of his years at Hogwarts. Harry was doing this to Granger, he could have just given up and let his friend who's helped his ass a hundred times against the Dark Lord, but no. He had too much damn pride to let her win a simple contest.

"Are you alright Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked with a concerned hint in his voice, breaking up Malfoy's hateful thoughts. Draco looked and saw Harry slowly closing his eyes, lowering himself to the floor. A small cheer broke out within Draco as he saw Harry fall to a most certain defeat. But first, Harry's mouth opened to spit out four words to the tear driven Mudblood.

"I miss you, Hermione," Harry croaked out as his wand fell to his side. He slid to the floor, lying on his back trying to relax himself because it was all over.

"You bloody won!" Draco yelled happily before Dumbledore had a chance to formally congratulate Granger. It didn't seem to faze the old Headmaster as he smiled brightly at the display he was witnessing. Draco stood up and hugged Hermione tightly, ignoring every warning bell going off in his mind. Hermione, so overcome with pain, was virtually unaware of who was hugging her, and why for that matter, as she slid out of Draco's arms into an unconscious heap on the floor.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted, compassion lacing his voice. The eyes of the Prefects around him grew large when they heard her name come tumbling out of his mouth for the first time in seven years. Draco looked back up at them with his mouth open wide.

_Oh for the love of Mudbloods, I didn't just say what I think I did…did I?_

_Note to Self: Yes, you did._

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**I know it wasn't as funny as the others, but I had to make a lot of it fairly serious, but keep in mind, Draco does not love Hermione. Hes battling over whether he wants to be her friend or not. It will come eventually ...maybe **


	10. Memory Lane

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been really busy the last week or so. Love the reviews, it does help with faster writing you know **

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"I'm sure you will have everything you need to care of Miss Granger here," a smiling Dumbledore said to a flustered Draco Malfoy. Draco glanced nervously around the now empty officer of Dumbledore; attempting to detect any Prefects who had lingered behind to continue gawking at him.

"Don't worry Mr. Malfoy, everyone is gone," Dumbledore remarked knowingly. Draco tried to stand a little straighter and puffed out his chest.

"I never said it mattered if anyone was here or not," Draco replied scornfully. Truth be told, he had never been more embarrassed then he had been just minutes ago when he had shouted 'Hermione' out in front of his competitors. Almost instantly after the words spilled from his mouth, Dumbledore shooed the others out mere seconds letter, knowing how ashamed Draco was. Dumbledore levitated Hermione onto one of the couches and smiled broadly. He planned for Draco to care for her until she awoke from her black out, seeing that he must be leaving on a short errand for the damned Ministry.

"Of course dear boy, whatever you say," Dumbledore said softly, not hiding the dancing glimmer of delight in his eyes. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes.

_Damn Dumbledore and his twinkling bloody eyes. You'd think he was the Tooth Fairy with the way he's always prancing about. _

"I'll be off now, but before I leave, I wanted to make sure you got this," Dumbledore said as he handed Draco a small piece of parchment. Draco eyed it curiously as he glanced at it in his hand.

"The clue my boy," Dumbledore said. Draco made an O shape with his mouth and nodded. But before Draco could protest about having to take care of Granger, Dumbledore disappeared.

_Crazy old coot_

Draco, now alone aside from the unconscious body of Hermione Granger, stood uneasily in the center of the room. He walked over to the couch where she lay and put his face closer to hers to listen to her breathing. His ear was mere centimeter from her lips as he felt breaths of hot air hit his face. A tingling sensation rippled through his body and he sprung back from her.

_What the hell was that? God, either I'm losing it or Granger's got some kicking breath._

Draco fidgeted in his spot, a good five feet from Granger, unsure of what he should do next.

_Might as well just wait for her to wake up on her own_

Lifting his eyes, he took in his current surroundings.Looking around the office, he spotted a wide collection of tinkets and books apparently collected over ,many years. Taking a few steps forward, he examined a row of shelves that held an array of novelties. The shelf directly in front of him contained a few books on herbology and a couple of potted plants as well. Draco hesitantly reached up to examine one of the plants that looked so vaguely familiar. It was a Red Snapper entwined with a purple Enswald Daisy. Furrowing his brow, Draco concentrated hard on where he'd seen this before.

_I know this damn plant from somewhere. But where? The only time I ;ve ever dealt with plants was either in that cursed herbology class with Longbottom, the living weed boy, or perhaps one time with my mum._

_**Mum.**_

The memory rushed into Draco's head faster then he would have liked. Gripping the shelf in front of him tighty, his eyes closed as he let himself remember an enlightenening moment he'd had with his mother before she was killed.

"_For the love of Merlin, can you explain to me why we aren't using magic to do this?" Draco grunted while wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He was knee deep in dirt that was now all over his once spotless white collared shirt. Nacissa Malfoy was also on the ground next to him holding a small gardening shovel and smiling. The two were in the vast Malfoy garden and had spent a good three hours that morning planting various flowers and shrubs by hand at Narcissa's request. Draco was down right exhausted and was a disgusting mess._

"_Oh, come on sweetheart. You know, some things are more enjoyable done without magic," Narcissa said in her honey sweet voice. Draco sighed deeply knowing that nothing, particularly gardening, could be argued with his mother._

'_This woman is going to kill me by the time we get around to planting the Enchanted Tulips.'_

"_This isn't exactly my idea of the term enjoyable Mum," Draco growled as he shoveled another plot of dirt in order to place in another plant. Narcissa laughed at the site of her son covered in dirt and sweat. Draco Malfoy was always prim and proper in his impeccably clean clothing. Seeing his shirt almost brown from dirt and practically in shreds was comical for the pretty woman. This moment would be happily etched into her memory forever._

"_Here, plant these instead," Narcissa told him as he went to place the flower he was already holding into the ground and stopped him. She grabbed a basket of flowers from behind her, placing it in front of Draco. He quirked an eyebrow at the wide variety of flowers in the basket. Apparently, the trend they had started of keeping all of the flowers species separate had ended with the flourishment of this new mixture. _

"_Aren't we supposed to keep all of the same type of flower together, not mixing them?" Draco inquired. Narcissa shook her head in disagreement._

"_Usually that is how its done but I think theres nothing wrong in a little bit of mixture," she replied back, sweeping a piece of her shining blonde hair behind her ear. Draco bore a wide frown on his delicate features._

"_That doesn't make sense though. I mean, you should keep the purely bred flowers in one area since they are so expensive and the different sorts somewhere else. Theres no need to mix things together that should be kept apart," he reasoned. The smile on Narcissa's face faded slightly at Draco's argument that sounded an awful lot like another concept. Clearly, Lucius Malfoy had done his job of instilling the love of Pureblood Wizards and the hatred of those who were not into every aspect of Draco's life, including something so frugal as gardening._

"_You know Draco," Narcissa said softly, placing a hand on his firm shoulder. Draco looked at his mother whose eyes he knew held years of pain and suffering. He felt a tightening in his chest when he briefly remembered all of the horrid things his father had done to her. _

"_Yes mother?" Draco asked. He could see her trying to form the words she was going to say in her head before divulging them to him. She breathed in deeply and continued._

"_Just because these flowers aren't of pure lineage and are entwined with eachother doesn't mean they aren't as good as the others. Maybe they are even …better," Narcissa said quietly. Draco looked at her once again, seeing her trying so hard to convey to him what she really meant with her words. He was still at a loss, attempting to unfold their meaning._

"_So we shouldn't plant the pure roses anymore because the others go together better?" he asked her, trying to get more understanding. She shook her head and smiled once again._

"_No of course we should still plant them. There is not reason to not have pride for your own family," she said, accidentally revealing the true meaning behind her words. Draco realized with her slip up that she wanted to tell him not demean those who weren't Purebloods because they were…… better? And all through a small gardening lesson?_

"_Are you saying half bloods and Muggle borns are better than the pure blooding families?" Draco asked in disbelief. _

"_Draco that is not at all what I am saying. I'm just trying to tell you that you should give others a chance. That just because they aren't Pureblood doesn't mean they are not good people and great wizards," she explained. Draco was quiet for a moment, reveling in the words his mother had said. It was a surprise to him, that the upstanding wife of the most notorious and superior Pureblood man actually spoke these words. She touched his hand lightly, bringing him from his thoughts._

"_I guess I can somehow imagine respecting someone with great magical power, regardless of their background. But never feeling anything more for them other the respect," Draco answered. He did in fact support this concept because his godfather, Severus Snape was indeed a half-blood and Draco had more respect for him then anyone he knew._

"_You never know Draco, one may somehow capture your heart one day," she said in almost a sing song voice. Draco shook his head and smiled, laughing inwardly at his mothers statement._

'_Muggle television really has turned you loopy, hasn't he?' he thought._

"_NARCISSA! Where the hell are you? Get into the house immediately!" the booming voice of Lucius Malfoy suddenly echoed across the garden. Narcissa rose to her feet instantaneously and cast a nervous glance at her son._

"_I guess your father's in one of his moods again; I better go see what he wants," Narcissa said uneasily to her son. Draco rolled his eyes and picked himself off the ground._

"_Knowing Father, he's probably complaining about losing a hair or two," Draco scoffed, producing a smile on his mothers face._

"_I would not doubt it one bit," she laughed lightly, giving her son a kiss on the cheek. She brushed her clothes off and with a departing wave, walked back toward the massive manor. Draco rubbed the side of his face where his mother had kissed him in case she'd left a lipstick print, not knowing that would be the last kiss he'd ever receive from her._

"Malfoy?" an indistinguishable voice in the present said behind Draco, interrupting the last of the memory. Draco's eyes were still tightly closed and his body was still leaning against the shelf.

_Great, it's bloody Father Christmas._

"Are you alright?" the now clearly femine voice said quietly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

_Ooops, guess it's not Dumbledore….it's worse, it's Mrs. Chipmunk._

Before he went to turn around to face Granger, he let out a small gasp when he realized a wetness dripping down his face. A river of tears.

_Oh gods. I'm crying?! And in front of the Mudblood no less!_

Hermione pressed her hand on his shoulder harder, hoping to get him to completely revolve in his spot to face her. He resisted her touch, leaning more of his body into the shelf, knowing he could not let her see him this way.

"Sod off, Mudblood," he managed to mumble. Hermione began to grow impatient at Draco's behavior, finally opting to force him to turn.

"Draco!" Hermione said in her high pitched voice, grabbing both of his shoulders firmly and turning him around with all of the strength her small body could muster. Her mouth gaped in horror as she saw a steady stream of tears roll off of Malfoy's face, splashing onto his robes and disappearing in its blackness. Draco wiped the back of his hand over his face quickly, trying to hide what Hermione had already seen.

_Damn it to hell, since when did she get to strong that she could turn me around? Must be pumping iron with Potter. _

"What gives you the right to touch me, you insufferable chit," Malfoy snapped as he glared into her eyes. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them slightly after seeing her reaction. Hermione looked like she had been slapped in the face, but somewhere her eyes foud a way to stare into his, her's filled with sympathy and compassion. She did not want to torment him as he had thought, she looked more as though she wanted to ...comfort him?

_Impossible. She must be planning on finding a way to advertise this all over the country. Possbily by writing an article for the Prophet. I can see the headlines now 'Malfoy's Menstrual Cycle Emerges!- Hermione Granger Acts as a Human Tampon'_

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, taking her eyes off of his and moving them to the floor.

"You damn well should be," he attempted to sneer, but failed miserably. After a good minute of standing there dumbly, Hermione inhaled deeply, trying to find her Gryffindor courage in order to address Malfoy once again. He had decided this standing nonsense was making him uncomfortable and hurridly went to the couch.

"Did Dumbledore give you the clue?" she finally asked turning to Malfoy, who was sitting now, trying to scowl. His face gave up and a look of stupidity she had never before jumped onto his face.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that," he said quietly, trying to hide the fact that he hadn't tried working it out while she had been unconscious.

"Well, where is it?" she said with her arms across her chest. Draco reached over to the side table and picked up a piece of folded parchment. Hermione put her hand out, signaling for him to hand it to her but he chuckled instead.

"Did you really think I'd let you read this first?" he said, keeping the paper close to his chest. Hermione hissed and tapped her foot.

"You had an entire half hour to read it, you prat," she spat.

_Fuck, she **is **right. But too bad she won't know that._

"For your information Granger, I was watching over you to make sure you didn't die or anything. Even though it would have just _killed_ me if you did," Malfoy smirked; proud of the lie he had come up with.

"Oh, I am _so _thankful you did such a cracker jack job," she said sarcastically.

"I am suprised to know you were able to tend to me so well while you were leaning against that shelf day dreaming over there," she added, her agitation getting the best of her.

"Yeah, I just love day dreaming about the last moment I spent with my mum, you fucking inconsiderate hag," he said mockingly. Hermione had apparently dismissed the insult he threw at her, only concentrating on the first few words he said.

"You were thinking about your mum?" she whispered, her eyes searching for his. He did not look up but stared down at the floor.

"Let's just get this over with," he mumbled. Hermione silently debated in her head what her next words would be, but gave up ,taking a seat on the couch next to Malfoy instead. He raised his blonde eyebrow at her.

"And what in Merlin's name do you think your doing?" he asked incredulously. The awkwardness before was gone now,so she took the opportinuty to look at him smugly and wrench the paper out of his hand.

"Reading the clue," she said simply. Draco opened his mouth to protest but was stopped by Hermione's hand quickly clamping over it.

"Shut your mouth for and for once let me be an 'insufferable know it all'," she demanded. Draco look bewildered at her remark about her unappealing characteristic. Smirking under her warm hand, he formed a ridiculous thought in his head.

_Note to Self: Go to Kingsworth's Kinky Kalamity's and buy a pair of furry handcuffs to match Granger's head and to keep her damn hands to herself._

* * *

Sorry that wasn't very action packed[ This is more of a filler because next chapters where the game evolves. R&R!


	11. An Unwelcome Change

hello my faithful readers! sorry about the lack of update with this fic, I've been busy with my other fic, To Love a Marauder, its Sirius/Hermione so you should defnitley check it out. this chap's not really long but theres plenty of little tidbits of a romance in the making. Review please!

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_Continued ..._

"TheclueGranger," Malfoy mumbled under Hermione's cupped hand. She shot him a puzzled look.

"What did you say?" she asked him, keeping her hand firm against his mouth. Draco rolled his eyes and used both of his hands to wrench hers off of his mouth. Once he had detached himself from her clutches, he gasped for breath and wiped his mouth furiously.

"Damn it, Granger. You could have suffocated me," he said over dramatically. Hermione shook her head and sighed.

"You are such a baby, Malfoy. A little lack of oxygen never hurt anybody," she remarked, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Your filthy hand touching my mouth was not welcome," Draco scowled, with one last swipe at his lips. Hermione groaned and focused on the parchment in front of her.

"Honestly, we are never going to read this blasted clue at the rate we're bickering," she said to the blonde next to her. Malfoy launched himself backwards onto the couch and threw his arms up in mockery.

"What a bloody observation! How _**did**_ you think of that one?" he asked her with false sarcasm in his voice. Hermione grit her teeth in frustration, trying desperately not to just lose all self control and hex Malfoy into oblivion.

_Did I forget to mention how much I hate this boy? Don't think I did. I HATE HIM!!_

"Are you going to read the clue? Or did you forget how to read, because _**that**_ right there would make my year?" Draco questioned her, sitting back up from his lounged position. Hermione, realizing she had been defeated as of the moment, flattened out the parchment and cleared her throat.

"Here we go...

_Your future is predicted here in this place_

_Specifically an object that doesn't deal with space_

_If you find what you seek, the next clue will be given_

_Just make sure you whisper to it "Knowing the future doesn't make life worthin living"_

Hermione scanned the rest of the paper and flipped it over to see if there was more writing, but to her dismay, she found none. Looking at Draco beside her, she saw his mouth slightly gaped.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked him, surveying his appearance. He outstretched his hands in front of him and opened his armspan wide.

"_**That's it?!**_" he miraculously exclaimed with his eyed bugged out in bewilderment.

_Note to Self: It's official, Dumbledore has lost what is left of his pea size brain and has dove into a pool of Butter Beer filled insanity._

"I guess so," Hermione shrugged, double checking the paper once more. Draco reached over and snatched the paper out of her hand and read it through again.

"You mean to tell me you almost bloody lost an arm over this hogwash?" he gushed, throwing the paper to the side. Hermione picked it back up and raised an eyebrow at him.

_Could it be that Draco Malfoy actually has said something similar to the term 'caring?'_

"Gods, you losing the arm would have been more pleasurable than getting this," he pointed at the paper disappointedly

_Ah, there's the Malfoy I know and love._

"Well, it's not going to help us by just sitting here and complaining about it. I'm sure it's not that difficult," Hermione said encouragingly. Draco put his legs up onto the coffee table in front of him and put his hands behind his head, sighing comfortably.

"If it's not that difficult, than why don't you take the first crack at it? I'll be in dream land if you need me," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Lazy good for nothing git," Hermione mumbled, looking over the parchment once more. Draco opened one eye and peered at her.

"I heard that," he retorted. She turned to give him a death glare and scoffed.

"Good," she stated. Hermione turned back around and drew her attention to the clue.

_Okay, so here it says your future is predicted in this place. Hmm…the only logical place I could think of is in the Highest Tower where Trelawney teaches. It makes sense. Now for what it is we're looking for the clue says it doesn't deal with space. So I'll safely assume it's not one of those star charts or rotating space models she has stashed up there. The only other objects she has are tea leaves, incense and crystal balls…..Crystal ball! That's the object!_

"Malfoy, get up you great oaf!" Hermione said, not even attempting to conceal her excitement. She giddily bounced on the couch, causing Malfoy to jolt wake from his extremely short slumber.

"Huh, what's a matter? I was dreaming of you jumping into the lake and getting eaten by the giant squid," Draco mused, smiling inwardly at his dream.

_Okay, so maybe I wasn't dreaming about Granger getting eaten by a squid…I MIGHT have been dreaming of getting awfully close to her. So close that I almost kissed her. _

_Now **that's** a nightmare._

"I figured out the clue," Hermione said, pining to suppress the grin that was emerging onto her face. That was the second time today she's beat Draco in something.

Score is Hermione-2 Draco-0.

"Leave it to beaver to save the day," Draco sneered, hoping it would cover up the bold smile that he was itching to give her.

_I guess I underestimated my furry little friend. …okay maybe friend is the wrong word here. I'll go with my furry little pain in the ass. Yep, sounds good._

"So enlighten me with your detective work," Malfoy asked her, stifling a yawn. To his shock, Hermione simply stood up, dropped the parchment into his lap, and said two short words.

"Crystal Ball."

"That's too easy," Draco argued in disbelief. He picked up the paper and skimmed the clue once more. However, to his dismay, crystal ball did seem like the only logical answer.

"Too easy huh?" a wicked smile flickered onto Hermione's face. She couldn't help but appear smug. Draco looked back up from the paper to see his partner looking rather pleased with herself.

"Alright, fine. You win this round, but we'll see who gets the most clues during the actual contest," Malfoy triumphantly stated. Hermione bent down from her standing position to meet Draco eye to eye. She leaned forward towards her mortal enemy, dangerously close and spoke in a quiet whisper.

"I hate to break it to you, Malfoy but this _**is **_the actual contest."

The words spilled out of her mouth like liquid sugar; almost drowning Draco in the process. He tried painstakingly to muster up a intimidation worthy glare to give the honey-brown eyed girl in front of him, but he failed terribly. Satisfied with her performance, Hermione stood back up and flounced over to the side table to pour herself a glass of water. Draco remained immobilized on the couch.

_What the fuck was that?!?! Is she trying to toy with my head or something? Ha, that Mudblood must think highly of herself if she assumes I'd fall for her weak attempts at over powering me. I'll say the only thing she did was plague my nose with the smell of her perfume. Something along the lines of sunflowers and roses. Ugh, I disgust myself._

"Water, Malfoy?" Hermione asked him as she sipped her own glass. Draco shook himself out of his daze and licked his lips.

"Yes, but I'll get it myself. I don't need your badger claws contaminating my drink," he scoffed as he rose from the couch to walk over to the stand. Hermione shrugged and sat down on a nearby armchair.

"Suit yourself," she replied, resting her glass on her lap. Draco came into view as he carried his own glass and took a seat onto the chair adjacent to Hermione's. For a few moments they simply drank their water and sat in silence, waiting on each other to say something. Finally, Hermione gave in and asked the question that was bugging her for an hour.

"What were you crying about before?" she asked him quietly, not taking her eyes off her lap. Draco looked up from his glass, obviously startled. He exhaled a long breath and continued staring at her.

"Why do you want to know?" he inquired, in an unusually soft voice that was foreign to him. He didn't understand why she would even want to find out something so personal about him, it was very odd indeed. She looked up from her lap and met his icy grey eyes.

"Because….." she trailed off, not really knowing why she had bothered asking him that question. She paused and thought for a moment, feeling his hard eyes piercing a hole in her own.

"I wanted to see if I could help you with…you know, whatever you're dealing with," she said slowly, her body tensing while it awaited his reaction. Draco shook his head and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Trust me, Granger. No one can help me with what I'm dealing with," he lightheartedly told her, ignoring the gut wrenching sensation in his stomach. Hermione seemed to be satisfied with leaving it be, and sat quietly for a minute, looking every direction except in his.

"I lost my mother too, you know. You don't have to face it alone," Hermione whispered, staring with comfort at the vulnerable boy in front of her. Her instincts were screaming at her, but she didn't care

_He's a human for crying out loud. He shouldn't have to feel this way, even if he is the bane of my existence. _

Time appeared to stop when the young Gryffindor reached her hand out to touch the Slytherin's ever so lightly. The warm pink fleshed hand of Hermione grasped the pale, white one of Draco's. An invisable blinding light of energy seemed to myseriously bind the two houses together for at least that single moment in history.

The pureblood wizard shuddered at first, feeling a strong urge to pull away and slap the girl with the hand she had desecrated. But almost as quick as that inkling of emotion came, it left, being replaced by a wave of heat rushing through his body. Draco for once in his life felt _human._

"You don't have to—"Draco began in the lowest tone his voice could manage. Hermione ceased his words by squeezing his hand tightly.

"I want to."

Those words sliced through Draco like a sharp pointed knife, carving rapidly away at his thick guarded armor. Though he fought with himself to stay strong; he was losing horribly. The Malfoy gently pulled his hand away from it's bed of comfort, feeling the coldness of his soul rebuild itself. Draco stood up like a flash of lightning and turned to head towards the exit.

"Draco?" Hermione's voice squeaked from behind him. He turned back around to face her, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. Staring at her closely, he shook his head.

"You don't know what you want, Granger," he stated. The girl's brown eyes grew big and defensive as she stood up as well.

"I want to be there for you, I know how it feels!" she voiced out, making another reach for his hand. His reflexes jerked his arm back as he stepped backwards slowly. Anger seemed to be taking over his veins as he felt his face grow hot.

"You _**don't**_ know how it feels! You think you know everything Granger! Well for once I can say that you don't know something. You have no clue what life is like for me," he spat, his breathing growing heavy. Hermione appeared to be transitioning to anger too for she threw her arms up in the air, her bushy hair flying all over the place.

"I do know what its like to lose someone that you love, _**Malfoy**_. Yeah , it's true that I might not have had your childhood, but I've experienced the pain you've felt!" she yelled back. Draco's eyes burned with fire as he walked forward and placed his face inches apart from hers. Sneering heavily, his voice developed a deathly sting.

"I would have liked to see you survive a day in my childhood," he growled. With a final glare, he spun around and stalked toward the door leaving Hermione confused and angry in the middle of the room.

_I should have left him alone...I should have let him tear himself to pieces. I shouldn't have cared._

* * *

Once the door to the office slammed shut behind Draco, he carelessly threw himself against the nearest wall. He pressed his forehead to the cold stones and slammed his fist against the rock next to him.

_Fucking hell Granger. Why did you have to care? Why couldn't you have left things be? Why did you have to change **everything **I've ever thought about you._

Draco pulled himself off the wall, hoping no one had seen his breakdown. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the corridor empty. Walking toward his dormitory, he felt regret dragging his feet as he remembered a comment he had made to the silly Gryffindor.

_**"I would have liked to see you survive a day in my childhood"**_

_Note to Self: Truthfully, I would rather sell my soul to the devil then to have to watch Granger try to survive a day in Malfoy Manor. She doesn't deserve it…she's got too much blasted heart._


	12. Crossing Lines

Hey, thank you reviewers again, you guys are awesome! Sorry I didn't start the contest yet, I wanted it to OFFICIALLY start next chapter, so enjoy as always

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Rolling over on green silk sheets, Draco Malfoy groaned loudly as his best friend, Blaise Zambini proceeded to wake him up.

"Get your arse up! It's the day of the competition!" Blaise grabbed a handful of sheets and ripped them off of Malfoy, revealing a pale, boxer clad male.

"Its so early," Malfoy mumbled as he rose to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. Blaise smirked at his groggy friend.

"Now,** I** have no problem accompanying you to breakfast while you're prancing around in your boxers," Blaise told him, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder, "but there might be some others that …frown upon your wardrobe choice."

"We all know you like men, Blaise, no need to say it again," an agitated Draco said as he got out of bed and started rummaging for clothes. Blaise put on a fake pout and laid his hand on his heart.

"Ouch, Draco. That hurt my feelings mate," Blaise said mockingly. Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed a pair of denim jeans out of his trunk.

"Oh, get a grip will you?" the blonde scoffed. Blaise shrugged and glanced at his friend's choice of attire with a raised brow.

"Jeans? Since when do you wear jeans?" Blaise questioned, sitting himself down on Crabbe's trunk.

"I wear them when I want to be comfortable. And since I'm going to be running around Hogwarts for a couple days, I figured they'd be better than slacks," Malfoy explained while pulling on a green long sleeved shirt. Blaise stood up and walked over to Draco's trunk, yanking out a clothing item.

"Its winter outside, you git. You will become a serpent Popsicle," he said, handing Draco a black sweater vest. The Slytherin prince eyed the vest with distaste.

"I'm going to look like bloody bookworm Granger wearing that," he commented, feeling a surge of anger at the girl's surname. Blaise shoved the sweater into his friend's chest and glared.

"Wear it, or become ice cream. Your choice," he stated plainly. Draco glared back at him and then reluctantly, pulled the sweater vest over his head. Blaise nodded in approval.

"You look absolutely…intellectual," he complimented, clearly stifling a laugh.

"Go shag Pansy, "Draco shot back, pocketing his wand from his bedside and taking his cloak. Blaise pretended to vomit at the thought, earning a hearty laugh from Malfoy.

"I thought so. Now let's get some food," Draco said, heading out of the dormitory. Blaise followed, catching up with the pointed nose male. As they walked through the Common Room, they found many people sitting and chatting. Draco gawked and punched his friend pm the shoulder.

"You woke me up too early! I thought it was late or something," Draco complained, while Blaise punched him back.

"Hey, the early bird catches the worm…or the clue, in this case," he defended himself.

"We have to wait for everyone before we start the search you idiot," Draco scowled, looking back at their inviting dormitory, thinking of his warm bed.

"You're up now, no use going back to sleep," Blaise smirked, dragging his friend through the Common Room and out the portrait into the corridor.

The pair stayed silent as they traveled through the halls, leaving Draco to cringe of the recollection of yesterday's events.

_The damn chit thinks she wants to help me…help __**me **__: Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, Biggest Git of the Century, Spoiled Brat, Pompous Arse._

_Hah, if she even knew the first thing about me, she'd run away screaming. Especially if I told her about a day in the dear old Manor with my wonderful father, oh yeah she'd __**love that**__. . She would just squeal with delight when she learns I received the Cruciatus curse twice just for saying 'Thank you' to Dobby. That would really get her going._

_What am I even saying, like I would ever __**tell **__her any of these things. She won't get a word out of me, that walking hair ball. Malfoy's don't tell people their problems, __**they are**__ people's problems. _

_Oh, and she expects that just because her mother died that means we can bond and be the best of pals? There's a better chance of Crabbe and Goyle becoming vegetarians than that. _

_Okay so it sucks that her mum died** big deal.** It's not like her __**own father**__ killed his wife in front of her. Or that she had to see her mother cry every night when her husband cheated on her again and again._

_No, she never had to deal with those things._

_It's not the same thing…it will never be the same thing_

"Draco?" the voice of Blaise boomed in his ears, forcing him to focus. He didn't even notice they had reached the entrance to the Great Hall already.

"Are you alright Malfoy?" a new, higher pitched voice asked. He turned to the other side of him to see a worried Hermione Granger.

_Bloody hell. Thanks for the delivery god!_

"Nothing your Mudblood self could do about it," he sneered, piercing her brown eyes. She seemed so much smaller than she had before, as if she were shrinking away in front of him. To his comfort, even though he would never admit it, she wore jeans as well, meaning he would not stand out in the crowd…not that he'd care.

"Oh…well..," she said, averting her eyes in every direction but his. She cleared her throat, and tried standing a bit taller, making herself look at him.

"I thought since we were partners we could walk in together…you know.. for intimidation purposes," she prattled, looking at him expectedly.

_Has she gone bonkers? Wanting to walk in with me like we were dating or something? Even though I **could** see this working to our advantage. The other teams would never think that the two biggest rivals would appear as if they were bonding…yeah! The bush baby's finally got a good idea._

"Never mind, that was a stupid idea," she fumbled, realizing her idiotic request. She began to turn around when the low voice of Malfoy backtracked her.

"Actually, that might be somewhat effective," he said slowly, forming the words precisely so as not to compliment her greatly. Hermione, wide eyed with shock turned around, trying to look less baffled.

"Really, you think so... I mean yes, I think it would give us an edge," she caught herself, attempting to not seem so taken aback. Blaise, who was watching the odd exchange between the two decided it was time for his exit.

"Alright, so if you two partners in crime plan on making this whole entrance, I'll be sure to garner up the focus at the doors," he told them with a wink. Before either Draco or Hermione could protest, he vanished behind the doors. Left standing with Granger, Draco shifted uncomfortably away from the girl.

"Just make sure when we walk in you're a good five feet in front of me," Draco warned, already stepping behind her. Hermione sighed exasperatedly and moved to face him.

"Are you that dim witted? The point is for us to look like we are friends," she winced at the word. Draco frowned, realizing her point, and stepped tentatively next to her.

"Better, Chewbacca?" he asked, failing to catch his mistake in letting Hermione know about his pastime of watching Muggle movies. She however, saw his slip as if it was a large truck hurtling toward her.

"You watch Star Wars?" Hermione copied Draco's smirk, quite successfully mind you. He dropped his jaw opened and thought of an excuse quickly.

_Fuck! What the hell was I thinking with the Chewbacca comment! She looks more like a Ewok anyway._

"If you thought about it thoroughly with your planet sized brain, you would realize that the concept of light sabers in Star Wars is a direct reference to magic wands and the wizarding world," he lied, feeling pretty confident about his excuse. Hermione looked at him and then a wide grin broke out onto her face. All too soon, she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

"Are you…..a moron?" she wheezed, grabbing his arm for support as her hysterics continued. Draco felt another flutter in his stomach at the touch of her hand, and snatched his arm back quickly, feeling a lack of warmth as he did so.

"No, I am **not **a moron. That argument made perfect sense you ingrate!" Draco snapped, ignoring her persistent giggles. After another moment or two, she stood up, composing herself and forming a straight face.

"That made as much sense as Hagrid teacing Care of Magical Creatures," she said, fighting a grin.

"I thought the bloody Golden Trio worships the ground that oaf walks on...or should I say rolls on," Malfoy asked her, moving out of the way of the incoming students going to breakfast.

"Oh I like him, don't get me wrong, he's a wonderful man. Hagrid just isn't exactly the teacher type," she responded.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Great Hall, Blaise was on top of getting everyone there to see Granger and Draco walk in together. The room by now, was pretty packed; not many more students would be showing up. His plan was about to go into action. Blaise rose from the Slytherin table and walked briskly to the front podium, where the only teacher at the time present was Severus Snape. Knowing it wouldn't lose him House Points, he pressed his wand to his throat and muttered a voice amplifying charm.

"Excuse me, everyone may I have your attention," his voice echoed throughout the hall. Slowly, groups of students from all the houses turned toward the front to find Blaise Zambini as the addressor. Professor Snape raised his eyebrow and stared curiously at the Slytherin, but made no motion to stop him.

"I would like to announce that shortly, yours truly, Albus Dumbledore, will be walking into the hall through those doors," he pointed to the large main entrance, " and will be accompanied by a special surprise guest." Blaise took the wand away from his throat and hopped off the elevated platform grinning mischievously as he saw almost every student turning their focus to the large doorway. He knew any minute Hermione and Draco would walk through, guarantying everyone including their competition would see them.

* * *

"Shall we get this over with already?" Draco inquired, leaned against the wall with Hermione beside him. She looked around, checking to see if there were still students entering. It appeared the majority of them were inside the hall, perfect for their entrance.

"I guess so. It's now or never," she answered, standing straight and stepping directly in front of the doors. She felt a wave of comfort flood her as Draco stepped next to her, his arm lightly grazing her shoulder.

"Don't look so depressed, they might think I forced you to do this," the Malfoy smirked, seeing Hermione's sullen face. She forced a smile and shook her head.

"Trust me, walking next to you isn't the icing on my cake," she laughed nervously.

"Most girls would be fainting from being in my mere presence right about now," he sneered. Hermione flipped her hair back and her features wielded a genuine smile.

"I'm not most girls Malfoy. You should know that." She smirked and reached forward to grab the brassy door handle. A split second later, Draco's hand lay on top of hers, sending chills down her spine.

"I'll be doing that Granger," he said flatly, and she let her hand fall limply, feeling a faint blush. Draco saw the tinge of pink and his ego expanded instantaneously.

_Aha! So I can get Granger all hot and bothered by barely touching her hand. What do you know, she must think I'm handsome or something….well duh, that's a no brainer._

"Here we go," Draco sighed, wrenching open the door. The second the wood cleared the way, he was greeted with hundreds of pairs of eyes staring right back at him. Hermione must have noticed this too as she let out a muffled squeak. Draco looked down at the girl next to him, seeing the faint blush turn ruby red. Without thinking, he put his hand on the small of her back and coaxed her forward.

"C'mon Granger, we've got to do this," he said softly. She nodded her head and started walking forward, Draco close beside. The students' eyes fell upon the two, staring intently at them while whispering in hushed voices. A buzz of talking broke out suddenly and bits and pieces of conversations rang in Draco's ears.

**_"A Malfoy with a Mudblood? Has he gone mad?"_**

**_"I thought Hermione knew better than to associate with his lot!"_**

**_"Do you think they're dating? Ohh wouldn't that be a scandal!"_**

**_"He is way to good looking for that dog. She looks like she's been dragged ass backward through the forest"_**

_**"What a slut! First Harry and Ron and now this!"**_

The words cut through Draco like a sharp knife, causing unwanted anger within him.

_How dare they insult me? Do they know who they are _dealing_ with? I'm Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake. And what makes them think they can say those awful thinks about Granger! That's **my **job!_

He heard heavy, uneasy breathing next to him and glanced down to see Hermione, struggling with the urge to cry. The nasty comments were even louder now as they reached the center of the room. Granger looked like a complete wreck, but she held up strongly, much to Draco's surprise.

However, half of him wanted to take advantage of her vulnerability and shoot a terrible insult at her dispense, but another half of him wanted to hex the people that were saying bad things about her. He opted for an adapted version of the latter.

"Don't listen to them, Granger. They are all a lot of stupid good for nothing prats," he said in a quiet, but in his opinion, somewhat comforting voice. Hermione's misty brown eyes seemed to unfog before his eyes and she gulped loudly.

"Can we please sit?" she pleaded, looking in awe at the empty bench by her.

"There's that blasted Gryffindor courage of yours!" Draco joked, hoping it would at least bring a smile to her face. Their whole plot for intimidation was dwindling away as each second passed.

Just as Hermione was about to hop into the nearest seat, two figures rose from her table blocking her way.

_My day keeps getting better and better, Potty and Weasley always seem to brighten the room with their presence!_

Both boys stood a few feet apart from Hermione, looking down at their feet awkwardly. She instantly snapped out of her embarrassed state and put on an icy glare that would have even scared Draco.

"What do you want?" she hissed, malice coating her voice. Draco watched her with interest, feeling a small swell of pride for his partner for her being able to sound oh so feisty.

"Hermione…we just wanted to—" Ron mumbled, not bothering to look the girl in the eyes.

"Wanted to what, Ron? Make my life a little more miserable? Ruin another friendship of mine?" Hermione spat. Harry tried touching her arm but she was too quick, keeping it well out of his proximity.

"I don't know how this happened, 'Mione. We were…are still… the best of friends. I want us to be like we were before," he begged while Ron nodded beside him in agreement. Hermione looked down right furious, her hair frazzled thoroughly.

"You don't know how this happened? Try the fact that you used me for my brains, and ignored me when I needed you there the most!" she yelled angrily, faltering on her last statement. Harry and Ron were shaking in their shoes, both looking scared and confused at what she had said.

"Why did you need us so bad?" Ron asked her in a soft tone. Hermione inhaled heavily, obviously fighting another round of tears.

"It doesn't matter now. It's over."

"What is it Hermione? Your still our best friend whether you like it or not, and best friends tell each other things!" Harry blurted out, pleading with his hazel eyes. Draco knew Hermione wouldn't want to mention anything about her mother to them right now, especially in a room full of onlookers. He decided to act, pushing aside his arrogance for a second.

"Well if you'd excuse us, we have to go find seats away from the likes of you two," Draco sneered, grabbing Hermione's sleeve and pulling her away. The shock of his action left her brain clouded and she allowed him to drag her to whatever destination he chose.

_Damn it there isn't anywhere for us to sit except for the Slytherin table. They will outright kill me if I bring the Mudblood there. Wait, who am I kidding? I rule them; they wouldn't dare say a word to me._

To the Slytherin's surprise, they saw Draco lead Hermione to their table, all of them flustered with shock.

"Sit, Granger," he told her, practically pushing her into the seat beside him. Draco watched the table give him curious and angered looks.

"She's with me. And if any of you even so much as **think** of saying something to me or her about it, you will personally answer to me," the powerful Malfoy snarled. He snatched a roll from the plate in front of him and shoved it into Hermione's hands. She appeared to have just noticed where she was sitting and looked petrified.

"Eat."

"Are you mad? I can't sit here!" Hermione argued with an uneasy glance at the annoyed Slytherins around her, putting the roll down. He picked it back up and placed it back into her hands.

"No I am not mad, and yes you can sit here. I told them you were with me so it's fine," he explained.

"Oh...Thank you… for that back there," she whispered, staring at the plate in front of her. He shrugged and waved it off.

"No problem. Just don't expect favors like that again," he said with a small grin that actually came tp him naturally. He pointed at the food in her hand.

"Eat that or I'll boot you back to the Gryffindor table," he scolded. Reluctantly, she took a bite out of the roll.

* * *

The rest of breakfast was silent between the partners at the Slytherin table, but around them there was a heavy buzz of chatter. Mostly due to Hermione and Draco's display as well as the competition that would be starting any minute.

Abruptly of nowhere, a sudden hush developed over the room and Hermione looked up to the front of the room to see Dumbledore standing and smiling at the podium. She felt a sudden jolt as she realized what his announcement would mean…

_The competition was about to begin_


	13. And So It Begins

**hey, you guys have been wonderful with reviews, thank you so much! I'm going on vacation and will be back on the 26th so I thought I'd leave you with this chapter, the OFFICIAL beginning of the contest! Please leave me some stuff to come back to !**

* * *

**The Competition Begins**

****

Hermione was starting to feel sick to her stomach due to her mixture of eager anticipation of: the contest beginning, sitting at the Slytherin table with Malfoy, and her two ex-best friend's attempt at an apology. The only thing she could do now to ease herself was to focus on the bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore as he began his speech.

"Good morning, students and faculty alike! Today is a very special day; hopefully many of you know why it is so special," the man's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"This very morning, beginning in ten minutes, some of your fellow classmates will be competing in a school wide scavenger hunt for the spots of Heady Boy and Girl!" he proclaimed happily, receiving a loud talkative buzz that erupted amongst the students.

"So on that note, I would like to introduce you to the competitors. Would those competing be so kind as to come up here to the podium?" he asked;his arms outstretched. Hermione, still in a hopeless daze, felt the words go in one ear and out the other, not paying attention to their meaning. She didn't notice the sudden sound of movement as the others made their way to the front.

"C'mon Granger, we've got to go up there," Draco hissed, standing up at the bench waiting for the girl to arise. At the sound of Malfoy's voice, the Gryffindor shook her head and looked up to notice that everyone except her and Draco had made their way up to the front.

"Oh shit, sorry," Hermione mumbled as she stood up quickly. Draco smirked hearing the foul word come out of the girl's mouth.

_Didn't know Granger spoke like an old sailor. That's a nice surprise, I wonder if I can get her to curse more often…well that shouldn't be too hard considering she hates the living hell out of me._

Hermione followed close behind Draco as they made their way up to the front, feeling everyone's eyes on them for the second time today. Draco glanced over his shoulder intending to sneer at the girl, but couldn't bring himself to it. She looked so lost…embarrassed…certainly not the Hermione Granger he knew and loathed.

_What's going on with me? I can't even give the girl a dirty look anymore! God damn it._

Once situated next to Harry and his partner, the two stood silently side by side engaging in the awkward silence that had encased the hall. Dumbledore turned around to look at every pair behind him, his eyes brimming with pride for all of them them. His gaze fell upon Hermione and Draco, lingering a few moments longer.

_Ah, by far the most interesting duo of the game. Oh, if they only knew that together, they would be unstoppable. The two most intelligent students in the school bring together the elements of bravery, cunning, and sheer determination. This combination is one that will surely succeed if they do not kill eachother before they complete the hunt._

_The only question regarding the outcome of their success is, will they push aside their past confrontation and prejudices to learn that they are both more alike then they think? This competition I think will be most beneficial to them in ways that involve victory beyond the places of Head boy and girl._

_The two may possibly discover the greatest prize of all during the hunt…love._

"Why is the crazy bastard looking at us like that?" Draco whispered next to Hermione. She too had noticed Dumbledore staring intently at them for the last minute or so, making her feel quite uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Hermione said quietly, meeting the man's gaze. He smiled warmly at her, shaking his head lightly.

"Oh no dear, everything is perfectly fine," he assured her and then turned back around to face the masses of students.

"I will need help from all of you in conducting this contest," he requested as he addressed the hall once again.

"You must not under any circumstances offer help to the contestants in anyway. Furthermore, they are not allowed to return to their dormitories while participating in the competition, so please respectfully deny them entrance," he instructed, his face more serious now.

"And if you suspect the contestants are in danger in anyway while completing a task, kindly alert a faculty member," he concluded. The students simultaneously nodded their heads

"Thank you very much each and every one of you," he announced in gratitude. The elder man in sweeping blue robes produced his wand from his sleeve and gave it a wave. In front of him, a small table appeared that was stacked with rolls of parchment similar to the one Hermione and Draco had received the day before.

"He's giving the others their clue," Hermione commented lowly, fingering their own clue that she held in her pocket. Draco nodded in agreement and took a deep breath.

"It's really starting isn't it?" Hermione asked him, hearing his heavy breathing.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Draco said back as Dumbledore waved his wand again. Parchment rolls flew to each of the pairs except their own.

"What is being presented to you is your first clue," the Headmaster told the group, confirming Hermione and Draco's suspicions.

"You may not unfold the parchment until precisely 10 AM on my command, which will be in around two minute's time," the Professor finished. The only thing left to do was countdown the time now that the speech was concluded.

"Granger, when he tells us to start, run as fast as you can," Draco whispered urgently under his breath. Hermione groaned in response; running was **not** her thing.

"Can't I just…power walk?" she reasoned, her honey eyes pleading. Draco rolled his steel eyes and scoffed.

"Really Granger, I would think you were a little more athletic then that," he jeered. Hermione scowled and began stretching her legs, disregarding the odd glances the students in the hall must have been giving her.

_Hey, better safe then sorry! I don't want to have to be sent to the Hospital Wing for pulling a muscle running around the bloody school. Draco would have a field day with that one…_

As she continued her unorthodox forms of stretching, Draco watched her out of the corner of his eye.

_Good gods, I don't think Hermione's ever done physical activity in her life. I mean yeah, she's skinny, but that's probably because she eats like a bird. Oh well, she's going to become a damn track star after we finish this thing because I intend to be sprinting every time we get the chance._

"The countdown begins!" Dumbledore proclaimed from the podium as the clock chimed loudly, barely containing his giddy expression. The contestants looked petrified with fear and nervousness, clutching their clues madly. Hermione and Draco shared a brief glance; Draco looking calm and pompous with Hermione appearing panicked and uneasy.

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one! The game starts now!" The Headmaster yelled wildly, tossing his pointed hat into the air causing a shower of blue sparks.

"Come on!" Draco shouted over the sudden wave of noise. He took off running, looking over his shoulder to see Hermione, surprisingly, right on his heels. They fled down the Great Hall, receiving a thunder of applause, relalizing the other pairs must still be standing at the front reading their clues. Malfoy reached the heavy doors of the exit first, and he wrenched them open. The pair took off down the corridors in search of the Astronomy Tower.

"This isn't s-s-so bad!" Hermione panted beside him, struggling to keep with his long legged strides. Draco smirked, seeing small beads of sweat trickle down her forehead while her cheeks flushed red. His breathing was still perfectly normal and he looked exactly like he did when he was standing at the podium, earlier motionless.

"Just wait til we get to the stairs," he purred with a mischievous grin.

"Oh fuck," Hermione grunted at his reminder of what lay ahead. The blonde chuckled as he turned his head to see her brown hair had fallen out of her miserably tied pony tail, obstructing her view slightly. She growled when she saw him laughing at her disheveled appearance.

"Not…funny," she breathed, falling behind him as they reached the staircase to the Astronomy Tower. Draco stopped for a moment before heading up the stairs to give Hermione a chance to catch her breath.

"Hurry up and get yourself together, I don't want to have to carry you up the stairs," Draco shot impatiently as Hermione wheezed next to him.

"I'm coming, you start going up," Hermione shooed him. Draco looked at the staircase and then back at Hermione, her chest heaving.

_If I leave her here, she'll collapse and then we'll be majorly screwed. Agh, stupid unfit chit._

"I'm not leaving you here, Granger. You're coming," he stated, grabbing her hand and tugging her behind him as he started up the stairs. The usual tingly jolt of their hands in contact made Draco shiver and he started up the stairs faster.

"You're going to rip my arm out of its socket!" Hermione squeaked out as he clamored further up the stairs dragging her behind him.

"People from the other team are going to be coming up right behind us fairly soon, so we've got to get our clue first. I thought you were smart, Granger."

Huffing in response, Hermione reluctantly allowed Malfoy to continue pulling her up the stairs until they reached the top, where a trap door resided above them.

"Finally, I thought I was going to drop dead," Hermione muttered under her breath as Draco pushed the door open and a set of stairs appeared leading up to the room.

"Pureblood's first," Draco announced as he pounced up the stairs leaving a scowling Hermione in the dust. She furiously went up after him, subconsciously fixing her unruly hair.

The Gryffindor emerged into the room and found Draco already looking around, trying to find the crystal ball.

"There!" Hermione exclaimed as her eyes rested on a table pushed to the back of the room directly ahead of her. Multicolor beads hung from the tables sides and on top of it rested a shining crystal ball. The pair ran toward it, Draco in the lead, pushing the tables in front of them aside. One of the tables he thrust sideways landed right in Hermione's path and she slammed into it, soaring over top of it and falling to the ground with a loud thud.

_I knew this was bound to happen. Malfoy's finally managed to kill me; all by pushing a measly piece of wood in front of me. God bless his rotten little soul._

Hermione groaned loudly, sprawled on the hardwood floor with her limbs contorted in all sorts of awkward angles. She closed her eyes for a moment; the pain burning through her.

"Bloody hell, you look like a rag doll," Draco said with an amused smirk as he looked down at the heap on the floor that was Hermione. The loud thud she made on contact with the floor had caused him to whip around, thinking for a split second the other teams had caught up. It was nothing short of Christmas morning when he found the cause of the noise to be Hermione practically dead.

"Thanks for the compliment. Now will you be so kind as to help me up?" Hermione asked in an irritated voice. Draco sighed and walked over to her, offering his hand. She grasped it and he pulled her upwards, seeing her wince in pain.

"Gods, I think I've sprained my ankle," Hermione hissed through grit teeth. She was actually in a terrible amount of pain, but kept her cool to show Draco she wasn't weak. He saw through her act easily as an unwilling tear leaked from her eye.

"This is perfect, we barely start the contest and your injured." The Slytherin's annoyance was quite profound. Hermione took a deep breath and tried hobbling forward, still holding onto Draco's hand. Almost the instant she took a step, she crumpled in pain, only to be caught my Draco's strong arms.

"You're lucky I read a book on Healing spells once," Draco told her as he propped her upright; not relaying any sort of sympathy to the girl. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at her ankle.

"_Panea reducto." _The spell was cast and immediately, Hermione could feel the pain in her ankle leaving her; a warm tingling sensation replacing it.

"Give me your ankle," Draco commanded, pocketing the wand. Hermione lifted her leg and Draco took her foot in his skilled hands, and rotated it.

"Does this hurt, Granger?" he asked her; his eyes scrutinizing the injury. She shook her head, feeling not a smidgen of discomfort.

"It feels as good as new," she said in leftover shock from previously. For once, Malfoy had mastered a spell she didn't even know.

_Not only that; he helped me! The way he touched my foot, it was so gentle…gods I'm so naïve. Of course he helped, if he hadn't, we'd be out of the competition for sure. He'd never have done it otherwise._

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at him as he released his foot and she put it back onto the floor. Draco started to smile back but stopped himself, applying an arrogant smirk instead.

"I wouldn't have had to do it if you weren't so damn clumsy, Mudblood," he spat. Draco turned around and started walking to the table once more, Hermione padding along behind him.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Malfoy asked as he prodded the crystal ball once they had reached the table. Hermione fished inside her cloak, retrieving the crumpled paper that was the clue. She reread it and handed the paper over to Draco.

"See that last line, where it says whisper '_Knowing the future doesn't make life worth living'" _she pointed out. Draco read the part she was referring to and handed it back.

"Here goes nothing," the blonde leaned his body down towards the sparkling crystal orb so that his lips were barely above it.

"Knowing the future doesn't make life worth living," he said quietly, and drew back to watch the ball as the grey mist in it began to swirl violently.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked as she too observed the contents of the glass object. The swirling motion stopped and a low, female voice began to speak beneath the fog.

"Congratulations, you both have found the first object, this crystal ball. You will receive your next clue shortly, but first, I will make a prediction for the person that spoke to me first," the woman told them, pausing for a moment. Draco looked over at Hermione with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged.

"I don't believe in Divination, so whatever she says is probably as meaningful as a Dungbomb," Hermione gave him her opinion on the matter. Draco fully agreed with Hermione's view but he decided it wouldn't hurt to listen to what the seer had to say.

"You, young man, will find something you've long been searching for. It has in fact, been in front of your nose for quite some time, but you have pushed it away time and time again. You will not be receiving what you seek with open arms, but initially with reluctance and distaste. This blessing in disguise will only be given to you once you learn to put aside beliefs instilled into you from childhood. If you succeed in overcoming your past, you will be greatly rewarded," the woman in the sphere concluded. Hermione watched Draco silently gasp and then furrow his brow in mock confusion.

"What was that all about?" he asked her, acting as if he had no idea what the seer had predicted, when in fact he knew very well what she meant by 'what he seeked.' Hermione noticed the false tone of his voice, but she decided not to question him and to go with the flow he had ensued.

"No idea, I thought you might know, but I guess not," Hermione shrugged. She looked at the crystal ball and noticed the mist had disappeared and now a piece of parchment was beside it on the table.

"This must be the second clue," the brown haired girl reached for the parchment and brought it close to read.

"Say it out loud, "Draco told her as he watched her eyes grow wide.

"It says …..

_The next clue can be found_

_Deep down under ground_

_And once you arrive, supplies you will find_

_To achieve what you seek, brewing is required_

_It must be complete before one hours time has expired"_

Hermione finished reading the paper, looking over it again quickly. She brought her gaze upwards and found Draco's grey eyes locked on hers, sending a shiver in her spine. His mouth that was once stolid began to move upwards on its sides into a smile. Hermione mimicked the action, knowing this was a signal that he too knew exactly where they must go.

"Dungeons," they both suddenly said in unison. Without another word, Draco grabbed her hand and took off toward the exit with her obediently keeping pace.

"It's a potion! We have to brew a potion, what luck!" Hermione called from behind Draco as they rushed down the stairs. On the inside, Hermione was doing a full out cha cha, knowing that her and Draco combined could probably master any potion thrown at them.

"Keep your voice down! I hear people coming up the stairs," Draco scolded her from ahead. Sure enough, footsteps could be heard coming closer to them. Hermione slapped her hand over her mouth hoping those coming did not hear what she had said. Coming to her senses, she tugged her hand that was attached to Draco's and he stopped. When he turned around, she leaned closer towards him and whispered.

"We can erase their memories when we see them just in case. You take one and I'll take the other."

Draco could barely contain his shock at her proposal. Here, Hermione Granger was suggesting doing something that would usually be constituted as immoral in her book.

_Wow, so Granger not only uses foul language, but she's cunning and sneaky as well! If not for her tainted blood and damn bravery, she would have made a great Slytherin. _

_I can't believe I just admitted that._

"Fine, you take the girl and I'll take the boy," Draco agreed, getting his wand at the ready. Hermione did the same and they both continued down the stairs once more, this time with unlinked hands. As they traveled farther down, the footsteps grew increasingly loud and in no time, Harry and his dark haired partner collided with Draco and Hermione.

"_Oblivio!_" The armed pair cried out at the same time, pointing their wands each at their intended victim, making sure to only concentrate on erasing the specific memory regarding their conversation on the staircase.

"Hey Hermione," Harry said after a second, sporting a dazed expression. Hermione set aside her anger from this morning and put on a happy smile, feling a small amount of remorse for what she had just done.

"Hey Harry, look we've got to get going so I can't stay and chat, good luck though!" she told him and pushed Draco lightly so he'd start running again. Feeling the pressure on his back, Draco took the hint and began his descent again, using the new found silence to think about what the seer had predicted.

_Talk about spot on. I can't believe she knew what it was I've been looking for…it's not like it's an object or anything that would have been easy to guess. It's more like a person...just someone I can talk to about things. There are so many bloody problems in my life; it's driving me mad keeping them inside. I mean yeah, Blaise has offered his ear, but that's hardly a person to talk to about these things...His life's pretty much perfect and problem-free, so he wouldn't know anything about my issues. . I need someone that's similar to me that understands what I'm going through.….and god knows that person does not exist._

_That lady also mentioned it was someone I wouldn't accept right off the bat and that I had to put aside some stupid stuff in order to pt up with them. There's only one person that fits this description perfectly and it will be over my dead body that I talk to them openly._

_Hermione Granger is **not** an option_

"I'm getting a b-bit winded," the occupier of Draco's thoughts said as she huffed and puffed loudly. Draco scowled and wiped the sweat off his brow before turning around to give Hermione a threatening death glare. She growled back and mopped up her face with her sleeve, shutting her mouth in defeat. Draco looked away from her and smirked in victory.

_Note to Self: Must buy the Mudblood one of those silly Muggle machines where you run in place but don't go anywhere. Really bloody pointless to run nowhere, but hey, maybe she'll be able to last doing strenuous activity for more than a grand total of 10 seconds next time. _


	14. Some Spectacular Magic

Oh goodness SOOOO sorry about the long time for the update! I was really busy having a ball this last week of summer. I hope you like the chapter and I'll try to update as much as possible once school/work start.

* * *

In Hermione Granger's eyes, the door to the dungeons seemed miles away when in reality, it was about ten feet in front of her. All of that sprinting throughout Hogwarts was definitely taking its toll on the out of shape Gryffindor.

"Oh my gods," she sputtered out as she dragged her feet across the floor to her final destination. Draco stood leaning against the wall next to the door with his arms crossed, scowling as she approached him.

"Took you bloody long enough, Granger. I've been standing here for ten minutes!" the Malfoy sneered in disgust as he gazed at her disheveled appearance. Hermione ,under different circumstances ,would have easily come back with a nasty remark for him but her current state of exhaustion only allowed her to give him a dirty look.

"Is that the best you've got? God ,Mudblood, you've really got to start working out that string bean body of yours if you want to come up with a better insult for me," he scoffed with an amused smirk. Hermione shoved him lightly with her last bit of remaining energy.

"At least I'm thinking clearly unlike yourself, Draco," she said coolly, emphasizing his name with distaste. He looked puzzled by her remark, but quickly covered it up with a sneer.

"What the hell are you talking about, Granger?" he asked her spitefully. Hermione rolled her eyes and pointed a finger at the heavy door in front of her, practically shaking with fury.

"Why didn't you go inside to start brewing the potion?! You could have had a bloody head start while I was running here," the bush -haired girl screeched. Draco paled and felt a blush rise to his cheeks.

_Oh shit, she's right. Damn it, why didn't I go inside? I shouldn't have fucking waited for her lazy arse to show up! I thought it would be the right thing to do, you know, wait for her….but that was definitely the wrong choice._

_Blasted Chilvalry!_

"Well, YOU are just wasting more time standing here screaming at me, you idiot," Draco spat back, feeling a lightness in his chest as he realized he saved his own ass with quick thinking.

"Just…you…argh!"

Hermione let out a loud groan as she finally collapsed against the heavy wooden board, pushing it forward with all of her might. The door creaked open exposing the entrance to the dimly lit dungeons; a cold draft hitting the partners' faces.

"Let's get this over with," the Gryffindor mumbled, walking through the doorway first. Draco rolled his eyes and followed behind her, shutting the door with him.

_I really don't know how much more of Granger I can take. I'm practically on the verge of suicide the longer I'm around her. Every little thing I say to her gets her so bloody worked up. Merlin, sometimes I think she might have been a great **Slytherin.**_

_Too bad she's got that lion mane head of hers that makes her the perfect Gryffindor..._

"Where's our equipment and instructions?" the annoying voice of Hermione rang in Draco's ears. He realized they were already standing in the front of the classroom. Looking around, he noticed that Hermione had a credible point. Every desk was cleared and not a single trace of a cauldron or sheaf of paper was visible. This struck Draco as being quite peculiar.

"How are we supposed to brew the potion then? It's impossible to do without having any idea of what it's supposed to be," he said with his face screwed up in perplexity. Hermione didn't bother answering him; instead she walked up to the first desk and started to grasp the empty air. Her hands groped around the nothingness on top of the desk while Draco stared at her incredulously.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing? Have you finally gone off the deep end?" Draco asked her as she continued her feel up. She moved on to the next desk and performed the same motion, this time, her hands staying motionless in one spot.

"It's here…the cauldron!" she declared as she broke into a wide grin. Draco raised an eyebrow and walked over to where she was. He looked down at the spot where Hermione's hands lay in midair and shrugged his shoulders.

"There's nothing there you silly witch. It's just air, you know, the kind your brain doesn't get enough of?" Draco said, shaking his head. Hermione did not retort his comment; her smile only grew larger. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the spot she had previously rested her hands on.

"Finite Incantatem!" she cried out with a twirl of her wand. Draco's jaw practically dislodged itself when he witnessed the silver steel of a cauldron materializing into the space that was empty moments before. A second later, the entire glistening cauldron had manifested itself before their very eyes,

"It was disillusioned! Quite clever really." Hermione's voice was awe stricken at the ingenious concealment. Draco on the other hand, felt like he was going to puke.

_Christ Almighty, the Mudblood just made me look like a complete idiot. **Me**, an idiot! __**She **__is the one that's supposed to be embarrassed and out done, not me! _

_Now she's probably going to be pestering me about this for a bloody year. Ugh…._

_Note to Self: Fuck Magic...Seriously._

"Oh good, the instructions for the potion are right here in the cauldron," Hermione hummed, pulling out a piece of paper from inside the metal pot. Draco, already having prepared himself for her inevitable insult, looked shell shocked.

"What? You're not going to tell me how I was an arrogant and stupid fool for not believing you?" Draco asked her. She took her eyes off of the parchment and stared at him. A small smirk crept onto the corner of her lips.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are practically giving me an invitation to insult you now?" she said, putting her hands onto her hips. Groaning, Draco slapped his hand onto his forehead.

_Shit. Screwed once again by the abominable snow beast. The score is now Fluffhead: 2 Me: 0._

"Don't worry, I'll spare you this time. I figured you were going to doubt me anyway. I was purely guessing about where the cauldron was at first. My hunch just happened to turn out right, that's all," she confessed to him while retying her hair into a bun at the base of her neck.

"Yeah well….nice one," the blonde grumbled out; secretly thankful she hadn't exercised the Slytherin-like quality of gloating.

"Wow, that sounded remotely like a compliment," Hermione said in mock pleasure. Draco took the paper in her hand and scowled.

"Don't get use to it."

"Oh believe me, I won't," the lioness vowed, crossing her arms over her chest. She stared reproachfully at Draco as he perused the instructions.

"I wasn't done with that, you know," she added pointedly.

"It seems we have forgotten there was a time limit on this. The clue from the tower said we had an hour to brew it, and I'm not sure if our time started the second we walked into the dungeon, or when we found the cauldron," Malfoy said in a serious manner as he took his eyes off the paper. Hermione gasped and snatched the paper back.

"Oh no! We've wasted so much time! We have to hurry up now. Quick, you get ingredients and I'll get the tools," Hermione ordered as she shifted into work mode. Draco complied without a fight and took the list back from her as he hurried off into the Supply Closet.

"Beetle eyes…dragon scales…hippogriff feathers…essence of everwood….juice from the root of Devil's Snare," the Slytherin muttered under his breath as he read off the ingredient list on the parchment. His eyes moved from the paper to the massive line of shelves that filled Snape's store room. His eyes diverted back to the instructions and he finished reading the rest of the extensive list. In a flash, he began gathered up all the necessary items; thanking Merlin he knew where they all were due to his unlimited access of the room ,granted by Snape himself.

"Did you find everything alright?" Hermione's shrilly voice floated into the small pantry.

"Yeah, I've got it all. I'm coming out with it in a second," Draco thundered back, attempting to gather all of the jars in his arms. Unsteadily, he began his slow walk outside the room into the main laboratory where Hermione had already set up the burner and had retrieved the tools.

"Oh good gods, you should have said you needed help. You're lucky you didn't drop anything," Hermione yelped as she strode quickly over to Draco ,who was caving slightly under the weight of all the jars.

"I'll take some of these." She pulled a few jars out of his arms and put them into the crook of her other arm. Draco couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief for her lightening of the load. One more second and the lot of it would have ended up on the floor.

"Use this knife and start chopping the scales and ginger root finely," Hermione directed once Draco had set everything down onto their table. He nodded his head and took the silver knife from her outstretched hand.

* * *

Together they worked in silence: chopping, slicing and dicing ingredients, as well as measuring and decanting others. 

"Alright, we can start adding these four ingredients in one by one in increasing order of their density," the witch said as she skimmed the directions on the paper once again.

"Put the feathers in first, then the scales," Draco pointed to the dishes in front of Hermione that were filled separately with each ingredient. Hermione did as she was told and watched as the contents of the cauldron bubble and turn brown. Malfoy proceeded to put in the two ingredients in front of him as well, and the brown color lightened to a hue of navy blue.

"We have to let this simmer for five minutes," Hermione's voice was laced with subtle panic. Draco checked his watch and shook his head.

"Stop worrying Granger, we have plenty of time to finish. Once it's done simmering, we just have to add the rest of the ingredients and stir it properly. The potion will be ready for use at that point becuase it does not have to cooled. It's meant to be warm at completion," he explained to her; withholding a smirk from her as he realized finally that he was better at her in **_something._**

"But what if something goes wrong?! We won't have time to fix it!" Hermione frantically wrung her hands at the mere prospect of her words. Draco sighed and clucked his tongue.

"Would you get a hold of yourself, Granger? Everything will be fine, just trust me," he reassured her, reaching a hand out hesitantly to touch her shoulder. He withdrew it quickly, and scratched the back of his neck with it instead.

"Why should I believe you? You've never given me a reason to trust you," Hermione said quietly with her eyes focused on the floor.

_**That**_ Draco could not argue.

Throughout the Slytherin's seven year stint at Hogwarts, not once had he done anything that would have made the know it all witch trust him at all; let alone tolerate him. The highlights of their less than friendly relationship were worthy enough to be featured on an American television series: Draco throwing insults at Hermione, her hexing him right back, Malfoy tormenting her friends, Hermione slapping him in the face.

_Real touching moments, right?_

Brushing off the odd bitter sting of Granger's comment, Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"You've got me there, Granger."

* * *

"The five minutes are up, let's start adding the rest of this," Hermione announced as the large clock in the dungeon chimed. She was thankful that the two could do something productive as opposed to the awkward silent brooding they had been doing for the past few minutes. 

"I'll put mine in first," Draco said as he picked up the chopping block in front of him. He carefully tipped the ingredients they he had diced on it into the cauldron. The liquid turned forest green, giving off an aroma of cedar. Hermione followed suit and added her own block of ingredients. The potion color remained the same causing distress in the girl.

"Isn't this supposed to be yellow? That's what the paper says!" Hermione peered into the cauldron again and then whipped her head around to look at Draco. He peeked into the steel pot as well.

"We haven't stirred it yet. I'm sure once we do that the color will change," he said knowingly, picking up the wooden spoon next to him.

"Oh gods I hope your right. Make sure you do the correct motion though. It's three turns clockwise every fifteen seconds for exactly one minute," she recited from memory. Draco scoffed and inserted the spoon into the green liquid.

"I know what I'm doing, Granger. I'm a bloody Slytherin for crying out loud; potions is my forte," the blonde commented with dignity as his voice swelled with cockiness.

"Potions may be your forte, but being an asshole is your true calling," Hermione snapped as her concern for the state of the potion flickered away. She had reached the boiling point with the arrogant prick.

_I can't let that git get to me, not now at least. We're in the middle of a bloody competition, but all he can do is brag about how he's the next Severus Snape! Lord, I hope he's at least right about half the shit he says. If he is, then at least we'll have a viable potion. If not, then I will surely murder him._

"And a clockwise stir just for kicks," Draco spoke out loud, turning the wooden tool the opposite direction. He figured Hermione probably wouldn't notice the twist he added to the directions since she seemed to be off in her own thoughts at the time being.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ah, the Squirrel Queen speaks.

"I'm saving this potion from failure," he spoke calmly, removing his spoon from the cauldron and setting it down onto the table.

"I swear I am going to kill you, Draco! Do you know what you've done? You've cost us the game! Why on earth didn't you just do what the directions said? Obviously, you know how to read!" Hermione screamed, throwing her hands in the air. She looked downright malicious with her teeth barred and her hair releasing itself from her ponytail.

"The directions," Malfoy simply stated, "were wrong."

Hermione's eyes instantly grew wide with fury and her voice grew icy and quiet.

"The directions were _**wrong**_?" she seethed, stepping closer to Draco. He instinctively stood his ground; no Gryffindor could scare him off though Hermione was coming dangerously close to it.

"Yes, they were, _**Mudblood. **_If you had been using your overly large brain, you might have noticed the obvious error in the directions," he said coolly, picking the paper up and handing it back to her. Hermione furrowed her brow and continued to glare at him, waiting for his explanation.

"Must I do everything? Good gods, woman," Draco sighed and pointed his finger at something written on the paper.

"It is common knowledge that any potion containing dragon scales mixed with hippogriff feathers must be stirred using a precise motion in order to counteract the extreme magical properties of these two ingredients," Draco explained in a bored tone.

"The motion that counteracts these ingredients is, quite fittingly, a counterclockwise stir put into effect after the called for amount of clockwise stirs the potion is said to need," he finished, watching Hermione's reaction. She was currently starring numbly at the paper at a loss for words.

"You're….I can't believe it…you're right," she whispered as her eyes danced over to the cauldron. Inside of it, she found to her amazement, the potion gleaming canary yellow.

"Of course I am right, Granger. Now put your mind to use and help me figure out what we are supposed to do with this potion."

Hermione stared blankly back at him; still baffled by his spurge of knowledge.

"Chop, chop, Mudblood!" Draco clapped his hands together twice in hopes of snapping Granger out of her stupor. She shook her head and the cloudiness in her eyes disappeared leaving them alert and ready. And before Draco's grey eyes, she sprung right back into action.

"I'll bottle the potion while you go around the room and 'Finite Incantatem' every bit of empty space you see. Since our directions and cauldron were hidden, I think we can assume that what we need to get the next clue is also hidden as well," Hermione reasoned as she set to work at the cauldron. Looking around wildy, Draco saw that there was a whole lot of empty space.

"This will take a fucking century," he muttered as he sauntered up to the front of the room. Snape's large oak desk took up the majority of the space as it sat looming over everything around it. Here, Draco figured, Snape had the best view of the students and what was going on around them.

"No better place to start then here I suppose."

Taking a deep breath, Draco revealed his wand with a flourish and aimed it at the nothing-ness in front of him.

"Finite Incantatem!"

_Nothing._

Draco tried closing his eyes and reopening them in desperation but still no dice. He guessed they could have only gotten so lucky once.

_She's got to be shitting me if she thinks I'm going to run around this entire room zapping everything in site screaming'Finite Incantatem!'_

"Did it work, Malfoy?" Hermione called from her place at the cauldron.

"Nope, nothing," he replied.

"Well, try again somewhere else," she suggested, corking the vial of potion. Draco groaned and rolled his eyes.

_She __**is **__shitting me._

"Come on, Potion Gods! Why are you making this such a pain in the arse? We managed to make the perfect potion but for what? There's nothing to do with it!" the Slytherin complained out loud, kicking the wooden desk in front of him. Hermione came scurrying to his side holding the vial in one of her hands.

"I see you're progressing well," she said sarcastically, staring at the fuming young man.

"I see you aren't," Draco shot back, giving her chest a quick, sweeping glance. Hermione turned red from embarrassment…or anger. Malfoy couldn't tell the difference.

"You perverted little ferret!" Hermione shrieked as she raised her free hand to slap him across the face. Her small hand swung towards his face and Draco winced in anticipation of the smack.

It never came.

Hermione's hand had literally stopped a millimeter away from Draco's creamy white skin. The Malfoy was quite curious as to why she didn't knock him off his block, and he intended to find out why.

"Scared you'll turn to dust when you touch my skin?" Draco said with a light chuckle. He watched Hermione drop her hand and he instantly regretted even saying anything when she reached into her pocket for her wand.

"Hey, hey! Settle down, Granger! Killing me won't do you much good in the contest," he said, holding his wand a bit tighter. She was still silent as she pulled her wand out of her jeans.

"Bloody hell, I can't believe you want to kill me," Draco said in disbelief. Hermione sighed in frustration and scowled.

"Will you shut up already? I'm not going to kill you! I'm trying to get the next clue," she hissed, diverting her attention back to what she was planning on doing. She placed the potion vial onto the empty desk in front of them and directed her wand at it.

"Transfigurtia!" Hermione flicked her wand and gold sparks erupted from it. The sparks showered over the potion like rain. A second later, the vial was vibrating violently on the desk. Draco's eyes were moving back and forth between the vial and Hermione. Her breath was held as her lips moved soundlessly.

_Is she freaking PRAYING? Holy shit, who would have known Hermione, was a nun- in -training. Hahaha, Nun In Training, NIT! How convenient!_

Draco began to laugh out loud at his immature thought when suddenly, there was a loud pop. He looked down expecting to see the vial, when instead, a torn piece of parchment lie in its place.

"We got it!" Hermione cried in delight as she grabbed the paper. Draco stood dumbfounded while the young girl's eyes read the paper hungrily. After a couple moments, she looked up at the blonde with a puzzled expression.

"I don't …I don't know what the clue means," she said, obviously pained that she had not ousted Malfoy once again. He didn't make a movement to grab the paper from her; instead he waived it away from him as she extended it toward him.

"May I ask you why the hell our potion turned into a clue?"

Hermione started to grin and giggle profusely; realizing she had been so excited about getting the clue, she didn't bother to tell Malfoy how she did it.

"I'm s-sorry, Malfoy," she laughed, steadying herself with the table. Draco was getting impatient with the stupid (Ha yeah right) girl in front of him.

"Very funny, Granger," he said, crossing his arms. Hermione's laughing ceased and she stood up straight to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you; it was rude and uncalled for. I just thought that all of this from your point of view probably seems absolutely outlandish and ridiculous," she told him with sincerity in her words. He nodded for her to continue.

"Calling you a ferret triggered something in my memory dealing with transfigurations. I remembered reading a book about the similarities between Potions and Transfiguration my second year. One entire section of the book was dedicated to the direct connection between the two studies. The concept that the chapter revolved around was called 'Ashwyn's Law'. It stated that a potion specific to a certain object can be transfigured into the said object using the universal spell 'Transfigurtia.' "

"The potions used for transfiguration deal with some of the most heavily magical ingredients, exactly like the ones we used to create our potion. I figured what the heck ,might as well try it and see if it works; which to our great luck it did," she finished with a smile. Draco followed her explanation perfectly, but he still felt something was missing.

"Why would Dumbledore make the clue only accessible to those who read the same blasted book you did? That seems a little unreasonable, don't you think?" Draco asked her with a raised eyebrow. Hermione shook her head and pointed to a book shelf to the right of the student's desks.

"I thought that too until I noticed those books on the shelf while I was bottling the potion. I squint my eyes to read the titles and I found that they all involved Transfiguration. It struck me odd as to why those books would be here until I put two and two together. Dumbledore clearly wanted us to use the resources around us and he even gave everyone a leg up by providing the books that would directly lead to the answer to the problem the teams would face: what is the potion to be used for?"

_So Granger really does have this whole game figured out….damn. I can't lie, that's pretty impressive for a Gryffindor…well for anyone actually._

_Oh gross I just complimented her in my head._

"That's….amazing," Draco decided on the correct word. 'Amazing' seemed fitting for the situation. Hermione blatantly agreed and she shook her head feverously.

"It is! It's truly astonishing magic," she sighed a little in content. Draco felt nauseated by her unyielding bemusement regarding magic. He decided toswing their discussion onto something more important.

"I'd like to see that clue now," he said and stretched out his hand. Hermione let out an 'oh!' and shoved the paper into his opened palm. Draco brought it closer to his face so he could read it for himself:

_If a **stroke** of genius is all you pack_

_Then the skill needed for this task is what you lack_

_**Deep **you'll search for the clue you strive_

_Plunge headfirst and take the **dive**_

_But watch out for the beast as it hides in disguise _

_Only **one team member** can complete this task_

_So when you choose, be wise!_

Scratching his chin, Draco read it over once more. He had an idea of where the clue was, but he wasn't completely sure. He read it over once more and decided his idea was most likely correct since it made perfect sense.

"I think I know what it is," Draco said as he turned his attention to Hermione, who had been hovering over his shoulder reading the clue with him.

"What is it?" she questioned with her brown eyes wide.

"If it's where I think it is, I'll need some swimming trunks."

"_No_…...not the lake!"

"Oh yes, most definitley at the lake."


End file.
